We can build our future together
by Dr.GG
Summary: After Blair tells Chuck that she needs to be Blair Waldorf before she can be Chuck Bass's girlfriend, Chuck tries to change her mind and convince her that they can have a future together.
1. Chapter 1

So I was depressed by the ending of 4x09, so I decided to write this little vignette. I know its a bit sappy, full of fluff, and OOC, but hopefully its not horrible. This is my first foray into fanfiction (although I've been reading them for awhile) so I hope at least someone enjoys it.

I own nothing!

"I'm sorry, but I need to be Blair Waldorf before I can be Chuck Bass's girlfriend," Blair said trying to maintain her determination even though her heart was breaking. Looking in Chuck's eyes she could see all of the emotions she felt mirrored back at her and it made her feel horrible. She didn't want to hurt him, but she knew that she needed to do this. She needed to find herself, become her own person, be a person whose identity was not defined by Chuck Bass but someone who was equal to Chuck Bass. Alright, so she may never be on the same level as Chuck Bass, but she at least wanted to known because of her accomplishments, her successes, and her failures. And being Chuck Bass's girlfriend would not let her do that – at least not right now.

Suddenly, Chuck felt his eyes begin to water, so he tore his eyes away from Blair and looked down at his feet. He focused on the ground and blinked back the tears. After what seemed like a lifetime but was really only a minute or two, he spoke with a voice that was barely above a whisper, "What about becoming Chuck Bass's wife?" Chuck's eyes rose to meet hers, and he saw a look of surprise and confusion take over her face. Blair's mouth formed an 'O' as she continued to stare at him in shock. When she finally spoke, all she could force out was "What?"

This isn't how he meant to ask her. Six months ago he had planned a beautiful proposal on top of the Empire State Building with peonies in hand and the perfect Harry Winston ring. It would have been the most romantic story that they would be able to share with their children and grandchildren. It was going to be magnificent and grand (which this one wasn't), it was going to take her completely by surprise (which this one did), and it was going to be the start of their life together. This time, he didn't know what was going to happen.

Realizing that this wasn't a conversation to be having in front of a party where anyone could interrupt them, Chuck grabbed Blair by the arm and pulled her into a private little nook around the corner. When he was sure that no one was around or eavesdropping, Chuck continued, "I love you Blair and you love me, or at least I think you do. So why shouldn't we get married? I want us to get married."

"You're serious about this!" Blair couldn't believe the words coming out of Chuck's mouth, but one look into his eyes told her that he was very serious. For so long, this is all she had wanted to hear – Chuck declaring his love for her and wanting to marry her. Now that she was determined to branch out on her own and stake her claim on the world, she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear this, at least not yet.

"Yes Waldorf, I am," he scoffed. Gently taking hold of her hands, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her hands, he took a deep breath and continued. "You've seen the ring. I know we've never talked about it, but I was going to ask you at the top of the Empire State Building – I had it all planned out, the perfect proposal. I even started to outside of the hospital before everything else happened. You are the person I want to spend my life with, you are the person I want as my wife and I want to be your husband. I knew it six months ago, hell if I'm being honest I knew it 3 years ago, and I know it now. You and me, together forever, that is what I want more than anything. Blair, marry me?"

Blair withdrew her hands, brought them to her face, and softly shook her head from side to side. "Chuck this is too fast. We just got back together, if you can even say that. Don't get me wrong, I love you and I want my future to be with you. But that doesn't change what I said before. I need to establish myself as Blair Waldorf before I can be with you. If I don't, I will always wonder if my success is my own or if it is because of you. I will doubt myself and my insecurities will come out, which in the long run will hurt both you and me. So I'm asking you for this time to become Blair Waldorf, someone both you and I can be proud of."

"If you want your future with me, why don't you want it to start now? Are you embarrassed by me, by my past? I know I've done some horrible things, but I am willing to work the rest of my life to make them up to you. Help me understand." Chuck's voice was timid, almost desperate. Blair noticed that he had shied away from her, hurt by her rejection.

"Chuck, you of all people should know how I feel. Last year, I supported you 100% when you decided to branch out on your own. You wanted people to respect you for your accomplishments, not because you are Bart Bass's son. And look at you now, you are doing so well and I am so, so proud of you," she grabbed his hands strongly as she said this and ferociously stared him in the eyes. She wanted to make sure he understood that she was truly proud of him, not in anyway embarrassed by him. "Don't you see, I feel the same way about myself. I want people to respect me for who I am, not because I am Eleanor Waldorf's daughter or Chuck Bass's wife. I need to do this on my own. I don't want to be weak anymore. I want to be a powerful woman. I don't know if that is as a lawyer or a business woman or a writer or a doctor, but I am determined to do it. And I know that you wouldn't ask me to give up on that, right? You don't want me to give up on my dream, do you Chuck?"

The truth of Blair's words hit home with Chuck. All she wanted to do is exactly what he had done the year before, and he couldn't fault her for that. In fact, he wanted her to do find her place in this world as much as she did, and he knew that if anyone could do it, it was Blair. He just had to convince her of that and support her through it, if she would let him.

"Blair, I would never ask you to forget about your dreams. Do you honestly believe that I want a trophy wife? I don't love you simply because you are gorgeous, beautiful, and sexy as hell. I love you for your brain and your wit, for your determination and your ambition too." His words made Blair blush bright red, but they also brought a smile to her face. "I know you can be whoever you chose to be, and you don't need my help for that to happen. All I am asking is that you let me be there with you. You stood by me all last year and gave me the courage to take the chances I took. I just want to do the same for you, be by your side for all of the ups and downs, to share them with you."

"Chuck, please," she drawled, but he quickly interrupted her.

"You know Blair, I never thought I would be back in this place with you. After what happened last year, I didn't think that you would ever love me again. When I got shot in that alley, I thought I was going to die. But I didn't – I was given a second chance. I don't want to miss any more opportunities with you, and I feel like this would be doing just that. All I want is for us to be together, however that is achieved." Chuck could tell that Blair's determination was slipping, that he was getting through to her. "How about this – we keep it a secret. Nobody needs to know, it's none of their business anyways. This can be something special that we share, something that is ours and ours alone, something that no one can take away from us. And when you're ready we'll let the world know, but for now, we can keep it between us. What do you say Blair? If anybody can do this, its us. We can do this."

Blair looked into Chuck's eyes and she felt overwhelmed by the love in them. There was only one way to respond to him after that, so she said simply "Okay." The smile that broke out on Chuck's face was so big and true, a rare smile that few people ever saw on the face of Chuck Bass, and she knew she had made the right decision. Blair knew in that moment that she would never love anyone the way she loves Chuck and that it was foolish to deny or put off their future together. Like he said earlier, they can have it all, and she was going to make sure that that was true, even for her.

Chuck was ecstatic; Blair had jumped off the ledge and said yes to him. Or at least he hoped she had agreed to marry him, but he needed to make sure that this wasn't all in his head, that he hadn't imagined it. So he asked her again, praying that he hadn't just heard the words he longed to hear. "Blair, did you just agree to marry me?"

"Yes," she simply said and looked him straight in the eyes, to ensure that he understood.

Chuck was sure that the happiness he was feeling was showing on his face, because he felt like he was going to burst. This was all he wanted, all he would ever need. He knew that Blair loved him, but still he needed to make sure that she was agreeing to be with him because this is what she truly wanted, not because he had guilted her into it or because she felt this was their only chance. He also wanted to make sure that she knew he didn't want her to give up her dreams. "Blair, don't get me wrong, I want this more than anything. But I want to make sure that you are saying yes because you want to marry me, not because you're worried about hurting my feelings. I don't want you to make anymore sacrifices for my benefit."

"Chuck, I love you and this is my decision. I'm Blair Waldorf and I am going to be a powerful woman, but that doesn't mean I can't be a happy woman too. And you make me happy. We'll find a way to make this work," she said shaking her head up and down with conviction. As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew they were true. This was going to work. She is Blair Waldorf and Blair Waldorf doesn't give up, she fights for what she wants. And who is to say she can't have it all too! So she cupped his face with her hands and kissed him, hoping he would know she meant everything she said.

"You won't regret this Blair. I promise you, you won't regret this. We're really going to do this and its going to work out! Now, why don't you sneak into my limo and I'll meet you there in about five minutes. I'll make sure no one sees me." And he snuck one last kiss before he gently pushed her towards the waiting car. He was going to make sure everything worked out for Blair, he wasn't going to be the cause of any more of her pain.

Five minutes later, Chuck slid into the backseat of the limo and he saw the glowing face of his fiancée. His fiancée, he never thought that he could ever be so lucky. Blair looked really, truly happy and he couldn't believe that he was the reason for it. He couldn't help but kiss her. Taking her into his arms, he said, "So, I've called and the Bass jet will be ready in the morning."

"Why?" Blair was confused about why they needed the jet.

Chuck smiled and laughed at her question. "To get married Waldorf. If we want to keep this hidden from everyone, we need to leave Manhattan. Someone would be sure to discover us if we got married here, and you know nothing stays secret on this island." He had thought this through in his head before getting into the car. It was the perfect plan. He knew it was a little rash, but he wanted to marry Blair and he didn't want to wait another minute. Now, he just needed to convince Blair that eloping was a good idea.

"Are you suggesting that we elope?" She questioned him hesitantly. He just smirked back at her. Of course that is what he was suggesting, that Basshole. She realized then that she always made spontaneous decisions when it came to him in the back of this limo, so why not do it again. They would elope, but she wouldn't let him get away with it that easily. She decided to toy with him a little. "Bass, I am not having a shotgun wedding in Vegas!" she screamed, trying to keep up an appalled façade while smirking on the inside to herself. She loved playing with him.

"No, of course not. Wait, I mean yes I want us to elope but I am not saying it has to be Vegas." Chuck was stumbling over his words. He didn't want Blair to rethink her decision. "Anywhere you want to go. Just name the place and the jet can take us there. It's up to you. I can take care of everything else." When he finally looked into her eyes again, he realized that her didn't match her mouth. She was messing with him! He couldn't help but smile – this was his Blair, beautiful, intelligent, playful, and scheming, and she would be his for the rest of his life.

"Okay, we'll elope. It needs to be someplace private, but still beautiful. I may not be having my dream wedding, but that doesn't mean it can be tacky Bass." She spoke with determination, getting more and more excited as the minutes passed. She was going to marry Chuck Bass in less than 24 hours!

"Blair, please, I'm Chuck Bass," he said slyly. "I don't do anything tacky. Our wedding will be classy. Oh, and don't think that you won't have your dream wedding. In a few years, when Blair Waldorf is a force to be reckoned with, we'll have your dream, Upper East Side society wedding. A wedding that everyone will envy. Mark my words." He had made a promise to Blair that she would not have to sacrifice her dreams for him and he meant it. This was going to be partnership, he was not going to put himself first anymore.

His words made Blair smile. She really was going to have it all. So she decided that she was going to take a leap of faith. "You know what Bass, a marriage is built on trust, so why not start at the beginning. You pick the place and make all the arrangements and I'll show up. How about that?"

He could only think of one response that seemed appropriate, so with a smirk he asked, "Are you sure?" Blair responded just as she had three years earlier, by kissing Chuck with all of the passion she had. This was really happening. By this time tomorrow, Chuck and Blair would be husband and wife, and nothing would come between them again. They were building a future together and they were going to have it all.


	2. Chapter 2 part 1

A/N: Hello again. I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed my story. I wasn't sure if I would continue it, but I've decided I will. Most of Ch2Pt1 was originally written as part of the last chapter, but I thought ending on 'Are you sure' was a nice place to stop. For that reason, this chapter picks up where the other ended and it contains lots of fluff because its all Chuck and Blair and all about the wedding. I got a bit verbose at times, which I am going to try to limit in the future. I know its long, but please stick with me.

**Chapter 2; part 1**

Blair was currently somewhere over the Atlantic, on a flight between Charles De Gaulle and JFK. She couldn't wait to get back to New York. Tomorrow was Monday and she had classes to attend, but more importantly she wanted to see her husband. It had been eight days since she and Chuck said their 'I do's', and just over three days since she last saw him before going to Paris for Thanksgiving. Yes they spoke and texted frequently, but it still wasn't the same as being together. 'I guess I'll need to get used to the separation.' Blair thought, realizing that keeping their relationship a secret was going to result in blocks of time when they won't see each other. She had found it surprisingly easy to keep mum on the subject with her mother, father, Cyrus, and Roman, probably because they didn't know anything that happened in NYC during the past week. It didn't matter though, because she had no regrets about marrying Chuck. As she shut her eyes to try to get some sleep, her thoughts drifted back to just over a week ago and she couldn't help with huge smile that spread across her face.

* * *

_Eight days earlier_

Chuck sent Blair a text at 2am, stating that he had taken care of everything and that he would be picking her up at 6am tomorrow morning. She immediately phoned him to get the details, but all he told her was that she needed to bring her passport, birth certificate, and anything else she felt she might need. She begged and pleaded for some sort of hint about their destination and wedding, but he was a vault. When he decided that he had tortured her enough, he told her "Alright, I'll give you a hint. It's someplace warm, and there is likely to be a breeze. Are you happy now?"

"Not even close Bass, but I guess that's all I'm getting out of you tonight," bemoaned Blair. Then she decided to try to turn the tables on him. "I'll just have to use my powers of persuasion when I see you tomorrow. Now, I need to pack some of the essentials. You always liked that red and black corset, right?"

"Blair," he sighed, trying to hide his heavy breaths so she wouldn't know how turned on he was. "You look gorgeous in anything, and I especially love the way you look in red – you know that. Now stop tormenting me. Just thinking about you in that incredibly sexy number is going to give me a restless night, and I am going to need my rest before tomorrow night so that I can ravish you properly, if you know what I mean," Chuck said in a sultry voice.

"Chuck, you can sleep on the plane," she replied and then she had a thought. "Unless its only a short flight and there won't be any time to get some sleep. Is that the case?" She couldn't help by try one last time.

"Goodnight Blair. I'll see tomorrow morning at 6am." He knew she was going crazy and she could keep him on the line all night, so he gave her one last bit of information, "And don't worry, we should be able to get some sleep on the plane, the flight is about five hours long. I love you Waldorf-soon-to-be-Bass," and he hung up quickly before she reply. While he was enjoying having some fun with Blair, if he were being honest with himself, the main reason he didn't want to tell Blair too much about the wedding was he was afraid she would hate his plans and decide against eloping. They had come so far and he didn't want to lose her now. Not even 30 seconds after he had hung up with Blair, his phone chirped with a new text message. '**Can't wait until the am. I love you too, Bass. xoxo BCW-B**' Chuck smiled at the message and soon fell asleep. For the first time in a long time, he was excited about waking up next day.

* * *

Both Chuck and Blair had fallen asleep even before the plane took off. Neither one of them had gotten much sleep the night before, so it wasn't surprising that they both nodded off as soon as they got comfortable in their spots on the couch. Chuck had his arm around Blair and he rested his head on top of hers, while she had her body leaning against his, her head in the crook of his neck, and her arm around his waist.

Once the plane had leveled off and the pilot announced they had reached their cruising altitude, Chuck woke up. He tried not to move too much so that he wouldn't wake Blair. He couldn't help but stare at her as she slept. 'God, she is beautiful,' he thought. She looked so peaceful and he wondered what she was dreaming about – was she dreaming about the future they were going to share like he had been? After half an hour of watching Blair slumber, Chuck decided it was time to let Blair in on some of the wedding details. It was her wedding too, and if she wanted to change anything they would need to let the people on the island know soon.

Chuck softly nudged Blair to wake her and spoke in a voice just above a whisper, "Blair, baby, you need to wake up. I want to talk to you about the wedding." He hoped that mentioning the wedding would do the trick. Sure enough, Blair quickly opened her eyes and perked right up.

"What do you need to tell me? You aren't backing out on me, are you?" she looked into his eyes, nervous that he was about to do exactly that.

"Never. You can't get rid of me that easily. I thought it was about time I told about the plans I made for the wedding. That way, if you want to make any changes or add some things we would still have time to. Okay?" he answered confidently, trying to mask the butterflies he felt. 'What if she hates it?' was all he could think.

"Finally! Let's see if this meets the Blair Waldorf seal of approval," she eagerly clapped her hands together as she bounced up and down in her seat. She was so excited to finally hear what Chuck had planned. While she was sure it would be different from anything she would have thought of, she was also sure it would still be perfect. Chuck understands class, and more importantly, he understands her. He always joked that he knew her better than anyone else, except it wasn't a joke – it was the truth.

'Here goes nothing,' Chuck thought as he started to give Blair the details. They are flying to Barbados, and as soon as they get there they need to get their marriage license. After that, they will make their way to the harbor, where they will board a chartered yacht and sail out to sea. The only other people on the yacht will be the captain and crew, including a chef and wait staff, as well as the photographer, all of whom had signed confidentiality agreements to keep the moment private and out of the press. They will be married at sunset, so the wedding will begin around 5pm and the captain will conduct the ceremony. This will also give them a few hours to get ready, because if everything goes as planned, they should be on the yacht by 2pm.

Chuck's concept for the ceremony was simple elegance. Therefore, he had arranged for Blair to carry a small bouquet of cascading white orchids, and he would have a similar orchid in his lapel. He will be wearing a classic tuxedo, with an ivory bowtie to match her dress. As for her dress, Chuck had 5 different dresses for her to chose from. "This way you can still chose your wedding dress, and since I won't know for sure which dress you are going to wear, we won't have any bad luck because I wouldn't have seen you in your dress before the ceremony," he added that last bit in there in hopes that she wouldn't be too crushed that she wasn't going to have a custom-made princess gown. "The dresses are in the office, if you want to check them out and try them on. I know, from that scrapbook of yours, that you always wanted a big, poufy, princess cut gown for you dream wedding, but I didn't think that would work very well on a yacht, so I hope that you will find these as acceptable alternatives. However, if you aren't happy with any of these, we can stop at a small boutique on the island which I am assured will have many more options or we can quickly phone a boutique on another island and have one shipped to Barbados for you. Oh, and I need to know if you want to do your own hair and make-up, or if we need to have the person I put on-call ready when the ship sets sail. So, what do you think?" he said as he finally turned to face her head on.

Blair was listening intently as Chuck described their nuptials, he had thought of everything. She was trying to envision what their wedding was going to be like. She was in awe of how absolutely beautiful and elegant it would to be. This may not have been her dream wedding, but then she realized that this sounded like something out of a movie, a fairytale come true, and it was happening to her! As Blair listened to Chuck more, she recognized that he was nervous. She started thinking about how quickly he had put together this amazing ceremony, and a thought occurred to her. Maybe this wasn't her dream wedding, but maybe it was Chuck's. This thought brought a smile to Blair's lips, because she was going to be able to give Chuck his dream and on top of that, she was going to get spend the rest of her life with this extraordinary man.

While Chuck loved to boast his money with grandeur, he was at the same time very guarded when it came to his personal feelings. There were few people who really knew Chuck, knew his true wants and desires, knew his true feelings, and she was one of them. The more she thought about it, this wedding fit Chuck perfectly. It was extremely private but still magnificent and expensive. It was also happening very fast, as if he were afraid she would change her mind, that she would reject him. He lived in fear of rejection after a lifetime with Bart, which is why he very rarely opened himself up to the possibility of it happening. In that way they are the same, she is constantly battling for people's approval. At this moment, all Blair wanted to do was to take Chuck in her arms, show him that she wasn't going anywhere, and protect his heart from ever being hurt again. She didn't even notice that tears were pouring down her cheeks until Chuck cupped her face with his hands and starting kissing her lips and cheeks.

"Blair, love, please don't cry. We can change anything about the wedding you want, I don't mind. Just please stop crying," Chuck pleaded with her, his eyes also glistening with the prospect of tears.

"No, Chuck, please. These are happy tears," she said with a bright smile so that Chuck would see this to be true. She saw him return a wide grin and she knew he believed her. "Don't change anything – its perfect. It sounds absolutely perfect. You are absolutely perfect. What did I ever do to deserve this, to deserve you?" She slowly caught her breath and wiped away the rest of the tears. He blushed at her words, but at the same time he began to relax, knowing everything was going to be fine.

As she regained her composure, Blair did have a few things she wanted to ask Chuck about, but she wanted to make sure she didn't come across as cruel. His plans were beautiful, but she needed a few clarifications. "Chuck, there are a few things that I want to ask you about."

"Okay," he said cautiously, a little nervous about what she was going to say.

"First, why orchids and not peonies?"

Chuck released a breath he didn't know he was holding. This one was easy for him. "I know peonies are your favorite flower, but in the past peonies haven't always worked well for me in gaining your love. I thought orchids would be a good choice because they are beautiful, simple. Also they represent love, luxury, beauty, and strength, all words that I could use to describe you, as well as our future. I hope you don't mind. Next question."

"I don't mind at all, those are very good reasons. My next question is about the dresses you brought for me."

"No, they are not Eleanor Waldorf originals," Chuck quickly cut in, hoping to inject some humor into the conversation and lighten the mood.

At this Blair couldn't help but laugh, "Good, because she would only complain that they didn't fit correctly. Actually, what I want to know is, are they simple silk or chiffon, or are they lace?"

"You have both to choose from. Is that a problem? Like I said, they are in the office so you can see for yourself. We can find you something different if you prefer."

"That's not it at all. I'm sure the dresses you brought will be perfect. I'm just not sure if orchids will go with certain patterns of lace."

This was one of Chuck's concerns too when he decided to go with orchids, he had a feeling that Blair would be particular about how the flowers matched the dress. "I understand exactly what you mean. Do you want to wait and see which dress you choose, or do you want to order another type of flower now just in case?"

"Why don't we order another bouquet now. What about classic red roses? They are simple, elegant, and they symbolize love," Blair replied.

"Sounds perfect. Consider it done," Chuck said happily and he kissed her eagerly on her lips. This was going much more smoothly than he anticipated. "Anything else or are you ready to refamiliarize ourselves with the mile high club?"

"Yes, one," she whispered as she pulled herself out of his kiss. "Well, two actually. You haven't said anything about our rings."

This was one thing that Chuck wanted to keep as a surprise for the ceremony. He had selected plain, simple, and classy, but by no means cheap, platinum bands for their wedding rings, and her band compliments her engagement ring perfectly. "Don't worry, they are taken care of. Now, no more talking." With that he kissed her again to keep her from talking anymore, and slowly laid her down on the couch.

* * *

Everything went according to plan. Once they landed in Barbados, the car was waiting to take them to the courthouse. However, before they got in the car, Chuck took Blair by the hand and he knelt down on one knee. Blair gasped when Chuck pulled out the small black box, covered her mouth with her other hand, and felt tears return to her eyes. "Blair, I know this isn't the dream setting – its not the top of the Empire State Building or the Eiffel Tower – but I want you to have this," and Chuck slowly opened the box to display the most beautiful, exquisite Harry Winston diamond ring. It was just as stunning as when she saw it in Paris. "I love you Blair and I want you to be my wife. Will you please marry me?" He looked up at her face, tears now streaming down her cheeks as she shook her head up and down. "Yes, of course I will marry you," and he slid the ring on her finger, it was the perfect fit.

Blair had narrowed her choices down to three: the white silk Carolina Herrera sheath dress, the ivory lace Monique Lhuillier sheath dress, or the Alberta Ferretti asymmetrical chiffon layered dress. She felt the latter two had a more romantic feel to them, and ultimately decided on the Alberta Ferretti dress. She probably never would have picked this to be her wedding dress, however today this felt like the right choice; simple, elegant, light, and a little playful, as well as romantic. Besides, it would look lovely with the white orchids Chuck had originally chosen for the ceremony. She wore her hair half-up, with curls cascading down her back, and made sure she had her something old (her grandmother's diamond and pearl drop earrings), something new (her engagement ring), something borrowed (a diamond tennis bracelet she took from her mother's room), something blue (her garter). As she stepped out onto the deck, she momentarily lost her breath as she saw Chuck standing there, in his classic black tuxedo and ivory bowtie, looking more handsome than she had ever seen him before. Chuck turned and was suddenly taken aback at the site of Blair in her wedding dress, because she looked more beautiful than he had ever seen her look before. They made their way to each other and the ceremony began.

The wedding was even more picturesque that either of them could have imagined. They stood out in open on the deck of the yacht, with nothing but the ocean surrounding them and the setting sun in the distance. Tears flowed freely down both of their faces as they exchanged vows and professions of love, not a bit of hesitation in either of their voices. When they were pronounced husband and wife, both of them smiled so brightly and kissed each other with so much love that neither wanted the moment to end. After they dined on lobster, ate wedding cake, and danced in the moonlight, before retiring to the master bedroom to extend their perfect evening as Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bass into the morning.

Another A/N: I am not sure where the story is going to go (I do have a career path for Blair though), but I am hoping to have a bit of snarky humor in the future chapters, revolving around Blair and Chuck sneaking around, how people will slowly find out, and maybe a scheme or two in there. I am open to people's suggestions. I want to keep it lighthearted and fun, as well as speed up the timeline. Thanks again for all the reviews, it helps me decide whether to write more or not.


	3. Chapter 2 part 2

A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews, they make me very happy! This chapter is kind of long, and it might seem to jump around a bit, but there were some things I wanted to get out of the way so that the story can move forward. FYI - in this story, everything at the Saints & Sinners party happened except for the ending with Serena being drugged and taken to a hotel.

* * *

Chapter 2, part 2

Chuck sipped his morning espresso as he watched the busy streets of Manhattan from his window at the Empire. It was merely 10am, but he still had a few things he wanted to do before Blair arrived back from Paris this afternoon. She had been gone for not even four days, yet he was anxious for her to return. He missed his wife and he wondered how he had made it through the past six months without her. Thinking about her, he glanced at a photo he had taken out of its hiding spot in his bedroom of them from their wedding and then to the ring on his finger which he had put on last night so he wouldn't forget how it felt, and he couldn't help but smile. It had only been one week earlier that he and Blair were on a plane returning to NYC to begin their non-traditional life together as husband and wife.

_

* * *

Seven days earlier_

Chuck was surprised to be woken at 6am the morning after their wedding by Blair standing above him in nothing more than her tiny silk robe. She feathered him with kisses and gently coerced him into coming out onto the deck with her. Once outside, they nestled into the lounge and watched the sunrise in each other's arms. "I think this might be heaven," Chuck whispered into Blair's ear as he traced the column of her neck with kisses. "I think you might be right," Blair sighed as she tilted her head to side, granting Chuck greater access to her neck. When Chuck's touch became too much for Blair to bear, she slowly pried herself away from his grasp and softly let her robe fall from her body. Chuck couldn't remember ever seeing a more beautiful site than the one in front of him right now – Blair, nude, in the early morning sun with nothing but the vast, blue ocean surrounding her. He then picked her up bridal style, brought her back to the lounge, and proceeded to make love to her on the deck. They spent the rest of their time on the yacht like that, memorizing every aspect of each other, their features and their flaws, storing them away as precious memories, until they were forced to get ready for their journey back to New York.

They were resting in each other's arms again, this time on the five hour flight back to Manhattan. Both Chuck and Blair were cherishing this time together because they knew that it was going to be difficult to have uninterrupted moments like these once they got back home. Blair reluctantly broke the silence because she knew one of them had to bring up the subject they had both been avoiding. "Chuck," she dragged his name out slowly.

"Yes, Mrs. Bass?" Chuck replied with a smile, and then he gently kissed the top of her brunette curls.

"You know, I don't think that I am ever going to get sick of hearing that. Mrs. Bass, it certainly has a nice ring to it" Blair said enthusiastically, making both her and Chuck smile widely. Then she remembered what she had wanted to say, so she turned to her husband with a serious face and looked him in the eyes. "How are we going to do this Chuck? How are we going to keep our relationship a secret from everyone? People are bound to find out. Besides, everyone saw our not-so-subtle display of affection at your party. KC was practically drooling over the two of us as a couple and you know that Serena and Nate will ask questions."

"Well, Mrs. Bass, I've been thinking about it. Nobody can scheme and plot better than us, so together we should be able to devise a masterful plan. I know it won't be easy, but we've been pretty good at sneaking around in the past. I'm sure we can figure something out. As for our friends and family, maybe we can tell them the truth, or at least part of it?"

"How is telling our families the truth keeping our relationship a secret? I thought I married Chuck Bass, not Nate Archibald," Blair replied snappily.

"Not funny Bass," Chuck answered tersely. He had decided that he wasn't going to refer to her as Waldorf anymore. From now on he would call her Mrs. Bass, Bass, Blair, or simply B, depending on the company they were with. "No, I'm not saying we tell them we got married or even that we're a couple, but we can tell them about everything up until we decided to get married. If anyone asks, we can say that after we signed the peace treaty, we started spending time together. It didn't take long before we both realized how much we missed each other and that we still love each other. But at the same time you have a plan for yourself, your future, and you knew that you needed to work on yourself as an individual before we get back together, so we've decided to be apart for now. Think about it, its realistic. Also, this way we can still pretend to be friends which would allow us see each other in public. I mean, we've known each other since we were kids, we share the same circle of friends, attend many of the same events, and we both take classes at Columbia, so we are likely to _bump_," he emphasized this word, nudged Blair, and raised his eyebrows suggestively, "into each other from time to time, Mrs. Bass."

"Ugh, Chuck, you have a one-track mind!" Blair slapped his arm as she said this, trying to hold back a grin. "But I guess it does sounds like your plan could work. It wouldn't be a complete lie, and that will make it easier for us to keep our stories straight. Still, I'm worried about Serena and Nate. I mean, I live with Serena and you live with Nate. They are sure to notice," Blair answered, her voice lined with concern.

"You can't really be worried about the two blondes," Chuck scoffed. "They may be our best friends, but I've never really considered them to be very observant. They tend to be too caught up in their own dramas to notice what is going on around them, so I don't think it will be too hard to hide from them for awhile." This comment earned him a giggle from Blair as she nodded her head up and down. "Honestly, if we need to worry about anyone figuring out our secret, its Dorota and Arthur. Those two are privy to every aspect of our lives. Still, they have both been fiercely loyal in the past, so I think if they were to find out it wouldn't be the end of the world. I'm pretty sure they wouldn't say a word. What do you think?"

"You're probably right Chuck. If anyone is going to notice us sneaking around, it will be Arthur and Dorota. I do trust Dorota with practically everything, so I'm pretty sure she'll keep our secret. Besides, even if she figures out that we're a couple, she won't realize that we're married. I am assuming we can trust Arthur too?"

"Yeah, Arthur can definitely be trusted. He's seen me do some pretty crazy shit over the years and has never said a word. Plus, I think he likes you, as well as me when I'm with you, so he wouldn't want to jeopardize angering me. And like you just said, when he finds out that we're together, not if because I can guarantee that he will, he would never jump to the conclusion that we eloped," Chuck said this confidently, which reassured Blair. However, when Chuck spoke again, his voice was laced with trepidation. "You know Blair, I am much more concerned about where we are going to live and making our marriage work. I mean, are we going to live together or keep our separate places? Living together doesn't seem like much of an option considering it would make it pretty obvious that we're together, but I am not excited at the prospect of living apart from my wife."

"I know what you mean," Blair sighed. "I originally thought that we would just continue living at our own places and it wouldn't be that big of a deal. We would still see and talk to each other all the time, but for some reason that doesn't seem right anymore – like it won't be enough. I didn't realize that I would feel so different after saying my vows, but I do, in a good way. It almost makes me wonder if we should just forget about all the secrecy and just tell everyone the news."

"Yeah, me too. I want to shout it from the rooftops that Blair Waldorf is now Mrs. Chuck Bass." His voice was full of emotion and he threw his arms into the air.

"What is it with you and rooftops?" Blair chuckled, and she further burrowed her body into his.

This made Chuck laugh and shake his head from side to side. "Someday, when I figure it out, I'll let you know." He then brought his arms back around Blair, engulfing her, and he kissed the top of her head. "But seriously Blair, I want you to make a name for yourself, become your own person, be proud of your accomplishments and know that you've really, truly earned them all by yourself. You were right the other night when you said that I should understand because I needed to do the same thing for myself, and I do understand. That is why I'm not going to give in and I'm not going to let you give in, even though there is nothing I want more. You are such an incredible person, but sometimes I don't think you see that. Maybe finding your place in this world on your own will help you to realize it. You can do it, and we can make this work. I believe in us." With that, he took her face in his hands and kissed her passionately.

"I love you Chuck Bass." Blair said into Chuck's lips as she returned his kiss.

"I love you more," he murmured, "Mrs. Bass." And that was the end of their conversation for the moment as they decided to take advantage of being alone a little while longer and partook in some other extracurricular activities.

* * *

When the plane touched down, it was approaching 10pm. Neither Chuck nor Blair wanted to leave the plane and face reality. They were perfectly content in their little cocoon, where they didn't have to worry about the outside world, where they could just be themselves and be in love. They had decided on the flight that they would remain living at their own places, letting the other know when they would be alone, and if it turned out to be necessary they could have a suite at the Empire or the Palace so that they could have some privacy and alone time. They made a pledge to see each other everyday somehow, even if for only five minutes on campus or in the limo, as well as to try to spend at least three nights of the week together, and on the nights when they weren't together they would be sure to talk right before going to sleep and as soon as they woke. They knew this wasn't the ideal situation for a newlywed couple, and they promised to re-evaluate things after the holidays.

Once they got into the car, Blair turned on her iPhone and glanced through all her missed messages, while Chuck did the same. She and Chuck had made the conscious decision to focus on themselves and cut off the rest of the world while they were on their trip, so their phones had been off the whole time they were away. "Nothing too important. A message from Dorota letting me know that she won't be over tomorrow because Ana is sick and that Serena told her she was staying at Lily's," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I don't even want to deal with Serena right now. I still can't believe what she did. First she applied for the foundation position with Anne and then lied to me about it. And, if that wasn't bad enough, she exposed our relationship to everyone at the party, knowing that it would hurt both you and I."

"Yeah, Serena's not my favorite person at the moment either. But if you think about it, without her little stunts we might not be here as Mr. and Mrs. Bass," Chuck replied, trying to put a positive spin on a bad situation. He knew if Blair dwelled on it too much, it would just make her frustrated and miserable, and it's just not worth it. Its in the past now.

"I guess that's one way to look at it," the tone in Blair's voice already softening, as she glanced at Chuck seductively. She slowly began to run her fingers up and down the front of his shirt and whispered in his ear, "You know, with Serena staying at Lily's and Dorota taking tomorrow off, I am going to be all alone in my penthouse, with no one to keep me warm. Do you have any ideas what I can do to fix that?" She finished her question by gently biting his ear, before purring into it.

"Oh, I have quite a few ideas. Don't you worry about a thing, baby," smirked Chuck as he grabbed her by the back of her head and kissed her eagerly.

Chuck woke up the following morning in Blair's bed with her naked body curled around his. He wrapped his arms around her a bit more tightly, and pulled her closer to his chest, kissing the top of her head and inhaling her scent. "I wish it could be like this every morning. But don't worry lover, because hopefully someday soon it will be," he whispered quietly, being careful not to wake her. After a few more minutes like that, Chuck slowly got up and went into the bathroom to shower and start getting ready. He knew Blair had a mid-morning class on Mondays, so she would be up soon too and would want the bathroom for herself to prepare for the day. As he stepped into the shower, Chuck made a mental note to himself that when he and Blair bought their own place, to make sure the master bedroom had a large enough ensuite so that they would be able to get ready at the same time.

* * *

About an hour and a half later, after being joined in the shower by Blair and subsequently getting dressed, Chuck was having a difficult time leaving the Waldorf penthouse. Once he finally managed to pry himself away from Blair's embrace, he headed back to the Empire to check in on business, but only after promising to meet Blair on campus this afternoon and choruses of 'I love you's'.

Chuck was distracted perusing the mail as he stepped off the elevator and into the penthouse of the Empire, so he didn't notice Nate standing there until he spoke.

"Hey man, is everything okay?" Nate asked, his voice was threaded with concern.

"Hello to you to Nathaniel. And yes, everything is fine. Why wouldn't it be?" Chuck set the mail on the table next to the pot of coffee that Nate must have ordered. He quickly poured himself a cup and sat down on the sofa, while Nate took a seat on the chair adjacent to him.

"Well, I haven't seen you in a few days. Actually, I haven't see you since I saw you making out with Blair at your party, so I wasn't exactly sure if you were okay. And your phone was turned off, which I didn't take as a great sign." This time there was no mistaking the questioning and worrisome look that Nate was giving Chuck.

"Sorry, I just needed to get away for a few days," Chuck replied with a placating tone as he took a sip of coffee, trying to avoid making eye contact with Nate. He knew the question that was coming, and he already had his answer prepared.

"No big deal. Its just that last time something went down between you and Blair, you disappeared for a few months only to show back up after being shot with an ex-prostitute as a new girlfriend," this comment warranted a scoff from Chuck. "Look man, I don't mean to be nosy, but do you want to talk about what's going on with Blair? Last time I checked you two had barely agreed to the truce, but then that video was shown at Blair's party and you guys had another argument. The next time I see you and Blair together, you are kissing in front of everyone at your Saints and Sinners party. I'm just trying to understand – are you two back together?"

"No, Blair and I are not back together, and I am pretty sure that I can thank your mother for that," Chuck said angrily. "God, we were so close too," he sighed, propped his elbows on his knees, and stared at the mug in his hands. "She had just told me that she still loved me and we were about to work it out, when Serena dropped that curtain and put Blair and I on display for the whole fucking party. Then your mother basically told Blair that she couldn't be the face of her foundation because of her association with me. This made Blair decide that we couldn't be together right now because she wanted to make something of herself. She said and I quote, 'I need to be Blair Waldorf before I can be Chuck Bass's girlfriend'."

"That's rough man. I'm sorry," Nate said with genuine sincerity.

Chuck took another sip of his coffee, before setting down the mug and leaning back. "I'm sorry to say this, because I know she's your mother, but what a bitch! Where does Anne Archibald get off essentially telling Blair that I'm bad for her reputation. She's the one who is married to a convicted felon, whereas I'm a 20 year old billionaire who runs a few successful businesses," Chuck replied heatedly. He knew he shouldn't have said that, especially to Nate, but he just needed to get if off his chest.

When he finally turned to look at Nate, he noticed there wasn't hint of anger in Nate's eyes, just concern, so he decided to continue with something that's been on his mind for a while. "I'm sorry," Chuck said with genuine regret in his voice. "It's just that, after everything that happened last year with the hotel and Jack, and then Jenny, I never thought I would ever hear Blair tell me that she loved me again. God, you know, she's Blair Waldorf and she could have anybody, so why would she love me after what I had done? But then, at her party, when she said that she was worried about me this past summer, enough to hire a P.I. to look for me, I started to have a little hope. That means something, right?" Chuck was looking at Nate for reassurance.

He simply replied, "Yeah it does mean something."

"Well, I've lost her again. Blair and I have decided to be 'friends' for now. She said she doesn't expect me to wait for her, but I honestly have no desire to be with anyone else. None, can you believe that?" He scoffed and then continued, "So I'm going to try to be mature for once in my life and give her the space she needs, hoping that she'll come back to me. She told me, 'if two people are meant to be together eventually they'll find their way back', so I hope that means she thinks we're meant to be. Shit," Chuck moaned, shaking his head from side to side, "I really sound like a pussy, don't I?"

Nate laughed, slapped Chuck on the back, and said, "Yeah you do. Blair certainly has you whipped man."

Now it was Chuck's turn to laugh, "Actually, I do like it when she whips me. And you're one to talk Nathaniel, you've been chasing after my sister like a lost puppy. What happened between you two?"

"I honestly wish I could tell you. After Blair's party, and then the ballet, I realized that I wasn't as over her as I thought. I asked her to give me another chance, but it turns out that Dan also want her. So we told her she had to choose between us. When she kissed me at your party, I thought she had picked me, but then Gossip Girl sent out the blast with the pictures of her kissing both of us. It pissed me off and I haven't spoken to her since," Nate replied.

"What the fuck has gotten into Serena? First she carries on with a professor even though she has a giant scarlet 'S' tattooed on her forehead, then goes behind Blair's back and asks your mother to consider her to be the face of the foundation, next she outs Blair and I in front of everyone, and finally she kisses both you and Dan instead of having to choose. It seems a bit strange, even for the 'Old Serena'."

"I know what you mean. Although I don't know why you think Serena is the one who outted you and Blair. I saw her standing near my mother and KC when it happened, she looked truly surprised – there is no way it was her," Nate said with absolute certainty.

"Blair and I saw her in the rafters after she dropped the curtain, she pointed the spotlight right at us. Tall, long blond hair, light blue dress with a mask on, it had to be Serena," Chuck replied, looking into Nate's eyes for confirmation.

"I'm telling you, Serena was standing on the floor not far from me, with no mask on so I know for sure it was her." Nate was nodding his head up and down, and Chuck knew it was the truth.

"Then who was the person screwing with Blair and I? Hey, maybe it's the same person who kissed both you and Dan and she's trying to mess with Serena?" Chuck tried to divert the conversation from him and Blair because he was worried. For some reason, this bothered him even more than it being Serena. Why would someone else want to reveal Chuck and Blair's secret relationship? Who else even knew and what would they gain? All of a sudden Chuck had an overwhelmingly strong need to fiercely guard his current relationship with Blair. He needed to talk to her and tell her what Nate had just told him, so they could figure this out together.

* * *

The next couple of days passed without much drama for the newlyweds. Serena was still staying at her mother's place, because even though Blair had finally admitted that it probably wasn't Serena who dropped the curtain, she wasn't about to forgive her for going behind her back to Anne Archibald. This allowed Chuck and Blair to spend the next two nights together before she left for Paris. Chuck had been right, it was easy to pass one over on Nate. He simply told him he was out late checking in on one of his clubs. To avoid being caught in the morning, one time Chuck snuck in early before Nate got up and the other morning Chuck came home after Nate left, letting him assume that Chuck was sleeping in. Nevertheless, Chuck took every precaution to not be seen entering or leaving the Waldorf penthouse, often using the servants' entrance, so that no one would suspect their continued liaison.

The night before Thanksgiving was the first night they spent apart since becoming husband and wife. Blair took the last Air France flight out of JFK that night, savoring the final few hours she got to spend with Chuck. He rode in the car with her to the airport, holding her close until it was time for her to go. She promised to call when she arrived in Paris, even though it would be the middle of the night in NYC, and they agreed to talk on the phone twice a day, when Chuck woke up and before Blair went to bed. As they kissed goodbye, they whispered 'I love you's' to each other and both of them already anxious for Sunday to arrive.

Chuck was tired when he returned to the Empire. This was going to be the first night he spent there since he and Blair eloped. Granted it hadn't been that long, but as he walked into his room, he felt like something was missing. "Blair," he sighed. He looked around the room and saw there were little touches of Blair around the room from when he first moved in, which to most people would go unnoticed but not by him, however they just weren't enough. As he changed into his silk pajamas and slid into his bed, staying on his side and leaving Blair's side empty, he realized that he and Blair haven't shared this bed since they reconciled – even during their period of 'hate-sex' they never came back here. Was it just a coincidence or was it a conscience effort on Blair's part he began to wonder. Sitting up in his bed, he had the sudden realization of how many women had shared this bed with him since he and Blair split so many months ago (ugh Jenny, even Eva), and he felt slightly sick. He didn't want his wife to have to sleep in this tainted bed. He swore to himself that he would replace this bed and get entirely new bedding before Blair came back from Paris. Maybe make a few other subtle changes to the room to make it more welcoming for Blair. He would do whatever was necessary to make this work with Blair, to make her happy. He lay back down in the bed and tried unsuccessfully to go to sleep, both good and bad memories swirling around in his head as well as thoughts of his future with Blair keeping him awake, so eventually he got back up and decided a glass of scotch would help.

* * *

It was 3pm in Paris when Blair's phone started to ring. She smiled, assuming it was Chuck calling because he just woke up, it was after all 9am in NY, but she was surprised when she saw Nate's name on the screen. Panic overwhelmed her, 'was something wrong with Chuck' she began to wonder, and she immediately answered the phone, "Hi Nate."

"Hi Blair, happy Thanksgiving," Nate answered cheerily.

The tone in his voice calmed Blair and she quickly collected herself. "Happy Thanksgiving to you too. So to what do I owe the honor of your call, especially this early in the morning? You love sleeping in on the holidays, so why are you up at 9am?" Blair joked as she began to relax and started to get comfortable again while talking to Nate.

"Oh, I'm at the Vanderbilt compound for Thanksgiving and they love to get us up early," Nate responded.

"Yeah, make sure you're up and ready for that touch football game! Now make sure you don't damage that pretty little face of yours," she said sarcastically.

"Ha, ha Blair. Very funny," Nate smiled and laughed into the phone. "Actually, I called to tell you something, but before I do, you have to promise not to get mad at Chuck. Okay?" questioned Nate.

"What is it Archibald?" she snapped back.

"Not until to swear not to kill Chuck," demanded Nate.

"Fine. I will not kill Chuck," she relented. "So, what did that Basshole say?"

"A few days ago Chuck mentioned that you and Serena had a fight, because she applied for the same position as you at my mother's foundation and also for revealing your and Chuck's affair to the world."

"Ugh, I can't believe that he told you all of that," she sighed. She knew Chuck and Nate had discussed some of those things, but she didn't realize he had mentioned the part about Anne's foundation.

"Remember, you can't get mad at him. He was just venting steam, and honestly, he was pretty broken up about things not working out between the two of you." At this comment she couldn't help smile, trying to imagine Chuck talking to Nate about his feelings for her. "Well, I already told him this part, but I wanted to make sure I told you too. Serena is not the person who dropped the curtain because I was watching her when it happened. She was nowhere near the spotlight either."

"Why should I believe you? You're in love with Serena so of course you would defend her," lied Blair. She already knew from Chuck that Nate had seen Serena, she just hoped that Nate didn't see through her cover.

"Trust me Blair. I am not making this up," Nate forcefully stated. "Besides that's not the most important reason that I called you." This caused Blair to perk up and pay attention. "My mom was talking about her foundation last night and how she still hasn't found the right person to represent it publically. I mentioned that I heard both you and Serena had been turned down for the spot and that I was surprised Serena even applied for it because of you. She said that she was too, but when _Vanessa_," with a strong emphasis put on her name "gave my mom her application package she assured my mother that this is what Serena wanted."

"Vanessa," interrupted Blair, which hatred dripping from her tongue.

"Yes, exactly what I said. Vanessa – a bit strange don't you think?" and Nate knew Blair was livid, but also that she believed him.

"Um, yeah, considering she's tried to get Serena kicked out of Columbia at least two times this semester. No way was she doing this as a favor for Serena. Now I just have two questions for you Archibald: why did she do this and what are we going to do about it?" Nate could practically hear the wheels turning inside Blair's head as she started planning Vanessa's destruction.

"I'm not sure Blair. Hey, can you hang on a second? My mom's calling me."

"I'll just talk to you when I get back Nate. Thanks for telling me all of this and have a happy Thanksgiving," Blair replied quickly.

"You too Blair. Oh, don't forget you promised to not be mad at Chuck. He really loves you Blair, remember that," and with that Nate hung up.

Blair had a million thoughts running through her brain at the moment: revenge, Vanessa, Serena, Chuck. She knew she needed to call Chuck and tell him everything that Nate just told her. She was confident that together they could figure this out and plan a strategy for revenge. She also knew that she would need to phone Serena and apologize. Truthfully, she missed her best friend and knew that they would work things out. It was Thanksgiving afterall.

* * *

Chuck nervously walked into the van der Woodsen/Humphrey home and was immediately greeted by Lily and the sound of Serena's laughter. Lily embraced him and he cautiously glanced around the room over Lily's shoulder. Eric was reading a book and Serena was chatting away on her phone.

"Its just the five of us today," said Lily as if reading his mind. "Daniel and Jenny are having Thanksgiving in Hudson with their mother and Rufus is in the kitchen cooking."

"Thank you for having me over today Lily," his voice was grateful. "I know I'm not Rufus's favorite person."

"Nonsense," interrupted Lily. "You are my son and you are always welcome here. Especially on Thanksgiving."

Just then they were both distracted by the high-pitched squeal coming from Serena and she giggled into the phone "You're the one who pushed me into the fountain!" Serena looked up and saw Chuck and her mother standing there and went back to her phone call. "Listen B, Chuck just got here so I should get going because we'll be eating soon. Happy Thanksgiving and I love you." There was silence for a minute while Serena listened to Blair on the other end. Chuck had figured that Blair would phone Serena today after what she told him earlier, and he was relieved that it looks like they had worked everything out. "Okay, bye," Serena said before she hung up her phone. She turned to her mother and Chuck and said "That was Blair. She's in Paris with her family and she wanted me to tell you both, and you too Eric, a happy Thanksgiving."

Dinner was pleasant. Because it was just the five of them, Lily had decided against setting up the more formal dining table and opted to have them eat at the round table off the kitchen. After the meal, they moved into the other room, relaxed on the sofas, and talked. Eric talked about school and looking at colleges, and then the conversation had shifted to Serena and Chuck and their classes at Columbia. That is when Lily asked, "And how is Blair doing at Columbia? Is she enjoying it more than NYU?"

Serena shot a pointed glare at her mother for bringing up Blair's name and then looked slowly at Chuck, not knowing what to expect from him. Blair had told her about their conversation after the Saints and Sinners party, how she and Chuck admitted their feelings to each other but that they had decided to be apart for now.

"What?" Chuck scoffed. "You can say her name. I won't break."

"Did I say something wrong? I thought the two of you had worked things out. That's what Serena and Eric told me " probed Lily.

"You didn't say anything wrong. Blair likes Columbia much more than she did NYU. However, she and I have decided to just be friends for now," answered Chuck in a matter-of-factly manner.

"Wait, you two aren't back together? But I saw you, I mean everybody saw you, at your party," Eric was clearly surprised by Chuck's revelation.

"Well, we're not together, and not by my choice might I add. Blair needs to do some things on her own right now, for herself. So I'm trying to be patient and praying that she gets them taken care soon."

"I'm sorry Charles," Lily said gently, as she took his hand with a reassuring grasp.

"Its fine," Chuck said shaking his head and returning Lily's grasp. He really wished he could tell her the truth, she would be so happy to know that he and Blair were in fact together and married, but he knew that he couldn't so he decided to change the subject. "So, Eric, what schools are you thinking about on the West Coast."

About 20 minutes later when they were just about to have dessert, Chuck's phone chirped with a text from Blair. '**Ate too much. I love you. Goodnight. XOXO BCW-B.**' After reading the message, Chuck's face lit up and he cracked a small smile. This went unnoticed by everyone else in the room, but Serena saw her brother's reaction and figured the message was probably from Blair. Chuck never truly smiled unless it had to do with her, and this broke Serena's heart a bit. Just then, Chuck got up and excused himself, "I need make a call. Go ahead and start dessert without me." He quickly moved into another room for some privacy and phoned Blair.

When Chuck had been gone for a good 10 minutes, Serena got up and went to check on him. She could hear Chuck was talking on the phone animatedly, and while she couldn't make out the words she thought Chuck sounded happy. A minute or two later, Chuck emerged from the room and saw that Elliot had joined them for dessert. He started to make his way over to the table when Serena came up behind him and said, "Just give her some time Chuck. I know she still loves you, and I'm sure she won't be able to stay away from you for too long. Believe me, I spent the whole summer with her in Paris and she was miserable without you."

"Thanks sis," returned Chuck and he meant it. He was happy to hear Serena talk about him and Blair in a positive light, because he was never sure how she would feel about their reconciliation. And even though he hated the thought of Blair hurting, a tiny part of him was glad that she was miserable without him, knowing that he wasn't the only one. He then looked at Serena and thought about Nate. "You know, Nate loves you too," he said confidently and he saw sadness overcome her normally jubilant face.

"I know, so does Dan. I just don't know what to do," she spoke softly and looked at Chuck hoping he might have the answer.

"Well, we're just a mess aren't we sis. I finally realize what I want and I can't have it, and you have too many choices and can't decide," he laughed.

"That's why I am going to let Eric and Elliot choose what movie we watch. Are you in?" And Serena put her arm around Chuck's shoulder and starting dragging him into the other room where their brother was waiting.

* * *

Chuck was waiting in the foyer of the Waldorf penthouse when Blair got back from Paris. She practically jumped into his arms and kissed him as if her life depended on it. Without wasting any time, he picked her up and carried her up to her bedroom. He had been dreaming about being with her since she left and was so happy that she was back. Her bedroom was lit by the soft glow of candles which were all around the room, and Chuck carried her over to the bed so they could become reacquainted with one another. A few hours later after having worked up quite an appetite, Blair and Chuck were in the dining room enjoying take-out Thai food for dinner. This is when Blair realized that Serena would probably be home soon.

"Chuck, as much as I hate it, you're probably going to have to go your place tonight. I'm pretty sure Serena will be back soon and I haven't quite figured out how to sneak around her," Blair said miserably as her lips formed a pathetic little pout.

"Well I have," Chuck smiled and then he kissed her. "Right now Serena, Eric, and Elliot are in California, flying around on the Bass jet touring colleges. They'll be back Tuesday night, so that means we've got two more nights alone together here. That is if you don't mind having me as a roommate?" he drawled seductively in her ear.

"I'll have to think about it," she gasped as he began to nibble on her ear, and the rest of their dinner was forgotten.

* * *

Two days later on the Bass jet, Eric and Elliot were lounging on the couch watching a movie when Elliot felt something scrape his arm. "Ouch," he seethed and he looked down to see a diamond tennis bracelet between the cushions. He picked up and admired it, then asked, "Hey Serena, is this yours? It bit me," and he showed her the bracelet.

"No its not, but I wish it was. We should tell the attendant," Serena said as she continued to marvel at the bracelet. "Do you know whose this is? We found it wedged in the couch," she asked the flight attendant.

"Its probably Mrs. Bass's. I think she was the last woman on the plane," she promptly replied.

"I don't remember my mother having a bracelet like this, but I'll take it to her and check. If its not, I'll give it to Chuck and he can find out who it belongs to," Serena decided.

"That's fine with me," answered the attendant. She realized she was lucky that no one noticed her slip of the tongue when she said Mrs. Bass. Of course they would assume it was their mother, because they didn't know that another Mrs. Bass existed.

A/N: Next chapter will move a bit into the future. There will be a one month anniversary, a Christmas party, and a blast from the past.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: So I lied - this chapter doesn't have the anniversary or the Christmas party, but that will be next I promise. It's already half written. This chapter just started getting a bit long (there were some things I wanted to say) so I decided to split it into two. Also, my parents are visiting this week, so I probably won't be writing for awhile and I wanted to get this out there. Again, it's probably OOC and full of fluff, but I hope it's not too bad. Please read & review!

* * *

Chapter 3

_Sometime during the next week_

* * *

Blair's alarm went off at 5am. This was the morning she had been dreading. She had a feeling it would be bad last year, but never expected it to turn out the way it did, with Chuck shutting her out and Serena ending up in the hospital. When Chuck finally did open up to her, she thought things were on the mend, however it turned out to be the beginning of the end. That was the night he found the locket that set off a series of disasters that changed their lives forever. Blair hoped that today wouldn't be a repeat of last year. She and Chuck were in a good place, happily married and prospering in life. In fact, the trainwreck of the last year and their separation had made them both value each other and what they have now that much more. Still, she knew she needed to be with him today, regardless of what propriety deemed was appropriate behaviour.

As Blair made her way to Chuck's penthouse at the Empire she started to get a queasy sensation in her stomach. Sure she had been back to his place a number of times since the whole Jack fiasco, but she never stayed for long and she was usually distracted by a mission or a scheme so those memories didn't have time to overtake her. She had a feeling that this time would be different, but she couldn't let that prevent her from being there for Chuck today. She exited the elevator and quietly stepped into the main room. She glanced around the room and noted that it looked the same, as if nothing had changed in the past year, as if nothing bad had ever happened here, as if Jack had never been here. But of course she could still remember that night, she had just locked that nightmare away and willed herself not to think about it. At that, she shook her head refusing to recall the events of that evening, set down the spray of yellow roses she brought, and set forth to Chuck's room.

When Blair walked to the doors of Chuck's room she had to stop. She felt an aching in her chest as she looked at the doors. This room used to be her sanctuary, her home-away-from-home, her little piece of heaven with Chuck. She knew he had sex with many women in this room, disgusting tramps and one-night-stands, and that changed how she viewed his room. This was no longer her refuge, her safe place. Now she just thought of this room as the place where Chuck slept when he wasn't with her. But that wasn't the only reason her heart ached as she stared at his doors. This was the room he shared with Eva. She was more than a one-night-stand, she was the only other woman Chuck had ever cared about besides her. Eva and Chuck had lived together in this place, in this room, and that, combined with everything else, poisoned her romantic memories of this place. Still, Blair knew that Chuck would need her today. Today wasn't about her, today was about Chuck and filling that hole in his heart that was only visible to her. "You can do this Blair. You need to do this for Chuck," Blair whispered out loud for only herself to hear. With that, she reached for the knob with an uncharacteristically shaky hand, and she slowly opened the door.

As soon as the crack in the doorway was large enough, Blair discretely poked her head through and she saw that Chuck was sound asleep. In complete silence, Blair stepped into Chuck's room and gently shut the door behind her, trying not to make a peep. She stood there for a second and swiftly took in the room. She noticed there were changes to the room, they were subtle but Blair saw them. She caught the picture of herself and Chuck that was taken over a year ago, sitting on top of the dresser next to a picture of Chuck and Lily, one of the van der Bass family from the wedding, and one of Chuck and Nate from high school. She saw that the picture of his mother that used to sit there was missing, and she wondered if that was even really his mother. She realized that she and Chuck had barely talked about Evelyn/Elizabeth after everything that had happened, and she knew someday, when both of them he were ready, that they would discuss it all. As she got closer to the bed she couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her; Chuck was sleeping on his side of the bed, his arm draped around a pillow that had been turned lengthwise. On his nightstand she saw a lone framed picture of Bart besides a photo album, a loose picture of Blair and Chuck laughing at their wedding, and an empty glass which had probably been filled with scotch.

Blair softly set her bag down on the ground and slowly stripped down to her slip. At the sound of her zipper, Chuck rolled over, raised himself by his elbows, and started rubbing his eyes. Squinting, he stared over at her and said in a groggy voice, "Blair, is that you?"

"Yeah, its me," replied Blair as she made her way over to him. She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed his forehead.

He grabbed her hand, looked up at her, and spoke in a tone that was both questioning and full of surprise, "You're here?"

"Sshh, Chuck, go back to sleep. I'm coming to bed," she whispered. She then let go of his hand and made her way over to the other side of the bed, her side of the bed. There was a moment of hesitation as she clutched the comforter before she slid in, something that did not go unnoticed by Chuck. As she climbed into the bed and made her way into Chuck's arms, she thought it felt different and her face displayed a puzzled look. "Something's different," she said aloud, not necessarily to anyone in particular.

"New bed and sheets and comforter. I changed them over Thanksgiving," mumbled a still half asleep Chuck and he tightened his hold on Blair and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Oh, that must be it," was all Blair said, but she knew that was only part of it and so did he. She squeezed her eyes tightly to keep the tears that threatened to fall at bay and strengthened her hold on Chuck. She repeated her mantra to herself 'You can do this. Today isn't about you, it's about Chuck. You need to do this for Chuck.' Soon enough, she found herself getting comfortable in Chuck's arms.

They laid in each other's arms, so silent they could hear each other breathe. After a few minutes, a very emotional Chuck finally spoke "I'm sorry Blair," his voice soft and filled with regret. "I'm so sorry. I know it's not the same. I'll fix it, I promise. I'll get us a different suite or new place. God, I'm so sorry Blair, I love you, please don't leave me," he choked out the last bit, and now it was Chuck's turn to almost cry. He pressed his head into her chest and listened to her heartbeat.

"Sshh, let's not talk about this now, not today. I love you and I'm not going anywhere, except maybe back to sleep," and she kissed and cradled Chuck until they were both near sleep. Then she whispered into his ear, "No one leaves, Chuck. No one leaves." He heard every word and understood exactly what she meant.

* * *

Blair was woken a few hours later by a kiss from a towel-clad Chuck. "Good morning Mrs. Bass." Blair yawned and stretched her arms above her head to help herself wake up. "Good morning to you, Mr. Bass," and she sat up in the bed so that she could kiss him properly.

Chuck ruffled his hair with a towel to dry it and then walked towards the closet to get dressed. Blair couldn't help but stare at him, her husband, draped in only a towel around his waist. "See something you like?" he asked cockily as he glanced over his shoulder at her. She flushed red at being caught and dove under the covers to hide her embarrassment. He shook his head and laughed at her modesty, before telling her "Breakfast is on its way up."

"Sounds great," she quickly recovered and she climbed out of bed. He seemed okay this morning, almost playful, but she was still trying to gauge his mood. He was quite emotional earlier when she woke him up. She wasn't sure if today would be a repeat of last year or not, she didn't know if her presence was welcome or not. "I'm going to take a shower and," her voice faltered as she finally gained the courage to ask him about his plans for the day, "and then I thought that we could spend today together." It was question more than a statement.

Chuck turned around to face Blair, she looked nervous waiting for his response. He was surprised that she was here, in his room, wanting to spend the day with him, but at the same time he was grateful. "That would be nice," he said and a small smile reached his lips, and he saw her start to relax. He knew that today was going to be a difficult day, but having Blair with him would be better than being alone. Last year he spent the day by himself drinking and he was miserable. The only light of that day was the end of it, when he and Blair left the hospital. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he needed her, today especially.

Chuck and Blair spent the entire day together. After eating a late breakfast, they made their way to the cemetery. Blair stood beside Chuck as he placed the flowers on Bart's grave, held his hand as he spoke to his father, blushed when he spoke of their whirlwind marriage and how happy it made him, and embraced him as a few tears escaped his eyes. As they walked back to the car, he put his arm around Blair, kissed the side of her head and whispered, "Thank you," just as he had a year before.

They rode silently in the car, going nowhere in particular. Blair didn't dare interrupt the quiet, so she sat watching Chuck as he stared out the window, and she waited for him to make a move. All of a sudden, he took her hand in his, looked her in the eyes and said, "Distract me. Let's go someplace where I don't need to think." Blair said the first thing that came into her mind, "The Central Park Zoo?" Chuck gave her a very strange look, but slowly started to smirk and nodded, "Perfect."

They passed the afternoon at the zoo, enjoying themselves like children sometimes and at other times just sitting together not saying a word. As they were getting ready to leave Chuck turned to Blair and said, "When we have kids, we'll bring them here, as a family. I want our children to be happy and to have fun. Our children will have no doubt that we love them, we will make sure they know we love them." His words left Blair speechless, so all she could do was nod in agreement with him. She had never heard him talk about children before, but there is a first time for everything. She knew he was thinking back to his childhood, and the memories that he didn't have with Bart. She needed him to know that she understood, that they were in this together. So she looped her arm through his, tilted her head on his shoulder, and whispered, "Don't worry Chuck, our kids will have the childhoods that we didn't. I promise."

* * *

That night Nate came back to the penthouse, not knowing what to expect. He realized the significance of the date after reading the front of a newspaper while waiting in line for his coffee. For that reason he was stunned when he walked into the room and saw Blair and Chuck watching TV and laughing. They were sitting on the couch facing each other, Blair with her shoes discarded and her stocking-clad feet curled up underneath her, and Chuck with his jacket and tie removed, his sleeves rolled up a bit and the top buttons of his shirt undone. She was sipping a glass of wine and he had his signature glass of scotch.

"Nathaniel, if we had known you'd be back by now, we would have gotten you dinner too. I think that we might have a few extra desserts left though, Blair decided to order the whole menu," Chuck said as he rolled his eyes and gestured to the table. On it, there were the remnants of a romantic dinner for two: candles, two empty plates, an opened bottle of wine next to an almost empty glass, and a selection of at least five different desserts not including the ones in front of them on the coffee table.

"Its called comfort food," Blair snapped back as she put down her drink and bit into a strawberry that she had doused in whipped cream.

Nate grabbed himself a dessert, caramel apple crisp from the table, and took a seat on the chair adjacent to Chuck and Blair. He noted how comfortable they seemed with each other, even after everything they've been through. They looked happy, especially Chuck, and he thought this is the way things were meant to be, Chuck and Blair together. It made him wonder if he could spur things along. "Have you guys figured out who outted you at the party? Do you know if it has anything to do with Vanessa setting up Serena?"

"We're not sure. I've got Mike looking into it," replied Chuck, taking a bite of chocolate cake.

"I'm still trying to think of the appropriate retribution for that troll's actions. If it turns out that she also had something to do with what happened to Chuck and I, then we need to take it to a whole new level," and she signaled for Chuck to give her a bite of his cake and he fed her from his fork, neither caring that Nate was in the room. "I guess we could let everyone know that she had a threesome with Humphrey and Olivia Burke."

"Not bad B, going after her 'holier-than-thou' act, but it helps if the gossip is true," Chuck retorted.

"Oh, but it is true Bass," countered Blair mockingly, and she took another bite of strawberry.

"Yeah it is. Dan was bragging to me about it right afterwards," contributed Nate.

At hearing this, Chuck's mouth hung wide open in shock and his piece of cake fell from his fork down his shirt and onto his lap, causing him to groan loudly "Shit!"

Blair couldn't contain her laughter as she teased, "Oh Chuckie, did you have a little accident?"

"No Blair, I think you did," and before she realized what he was doing, Chuck had picked up the fallen piece of cake and tossed it at Blair, hitting her right in the middle of her chest.

"You. Did. Not. Just. Do. That," she screamed, clearly shocked by his actions.

"Oh, I most certainly did. What are you going to do about it?" he taunted.

All of a sudden a spoonful of whipped cream smacked Chuck in the face. Stunned by what Blair had done, he then picked up what was left of the cake and shoved it on top of Blair's head. She then grabbed a handful of strawberries and squished them into Chuck's shirt. The ensuing foodfight resulted in Blair and Chuck chasing each other around the penthouse, alternating between throwing food and ducking behind furniture. Throughout the entire spectacle, Nate sat completely still, unsure what to do. He was certain he had entered an alternative universe because this was not something that the Chuck and Blair he knew would do. Every once in a while he caught phrases like "This dress is Marc Jacobs," and "Well, this shirt is Armani," or "You're lucky I didn't get cake all over you at the wedding," and "At least that wasn't chocolate cake – chocolate stains Bass." It ended with both of them covered in food stains from head to toe, gasping for air and laughing hysterically as they collapsed back onto the sofa. Finally, Nate got up the nerve to speak. "Who are you and what have you done with Chuck and Blair?"

In synchrony, both of them turned their heads to Nate having forgotten he was in the room and glared at him with serious expressions on their faces. Then, without saying a word, they both grabbed what was left of the strawberries and threw them at Nate. All three of them erupted into laughter again, knowing how ridiculous they all must look. When they finally settled down and regained their composure, Chuck said, "I can't believe neither of you told me about the threesome, with Olivia Burke no less."

"Well, Dan told me in confidence, so I didn't think I should," Nate replied.

"Ooh, gross. Even if it is Olivia Burke it's still Dan and Vanessa and that is disgusting, so I'd rather not think about it. Besides, why do we care about what two Brooklynites get up to in bed?" Blair commented nonchalantly and simply shrugged her shoulders. "Bass, do you mind if I get out of these clothes and clean up?"

"Not at all. Do you need any help? I could always clean you myself – I'm sure you taste delicious," Chuck smirked as he ran his tongue over his lips and licked off some of the cream.

"Ugh, Chuck, I meant shower. And if you were wondering how I taste, you could just ask Nate," as she casually flipped her hair over her shoulder to reveal his kryptonite, the nape of her neck, and her eyes gleamed with victory. She then turned and started walking towards Chuck's room.

"Not funny Blair," he scowled and she let out a giggle. Chuck followed her lustfully with his eyes as she went into his room to change and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his whipped cream covered face. It was then that he made a decision, one that had been looming in the back of his mind for a while now but was only solidified today.

He was brought out of his daze by Nate's voice. "Everything okay man?"

"Yeah, everything's great," and Chuck let out a small laugh, still staring at his room.

"You and Blair seemed to be having nice time and getting along. Any change there?" and he got up and grabbed a couple of towels from the kitchen.

"She didn't want me to be alone today, so we spent the day together. We went to the zoo believe it or not, and we actually had a lot of fun," Chuck now turned to Nate and motioned for a towel. He started wiping the mess off his face, took a deep breath and said, "Nathaniel, I'm moving out. If I want to have a real chance at a future with Blair, I can't live in this penthouse anymore. You can stay, but I have to get a new place."

"Are you planning on still living at the Empire or someplace else?" Nate questioned, a bit surprised by Chuck's statement but at the same time he understood the reasoning behind it.

"Someplace else," and Chuck became more convinced this was the right thing to do as the words passed his lips. "You know, I miss the Upper East Side, so maybe I'll look for a place there."

"I understand. And don't worry, I think you definitely still have a chance with Blair."

"Why would you say that?" Chuck asked, curious as to what Nate was talking about.

"Because you ruined her clothes and got chocolate in her hair, and she didn't kill you. She didn't even yell at you. In fact, she laughed about it, something that Blair Waldorf would never do."

"You're right, that isn't something that Blair Waldorf would do." Chuck couldn't hide the smirk that came to his face as he thought 'Maybe it is something that Blair Waldorf-Bass would do.'

* * *

A/N: I know I rambled, but I needed to have Chuck move out of the Empire. I still don't understand how Chuck (and Nate for that matter – wasn't he disgusted with Chuck and the IP) can live in that place. Also, I'm open to ideas about getting revenge on Vanessa.


	5. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. It really puts a smile on my face to know that people enjoy what I've written. I'm sorry that it has taken a while for me to update, but my family was in town and then it took some time to get motivated to write again. Certain spoilers were killing my will to write, but then I decided that everyone else might need some C&B fluff too.

I do not own anything.

* * *

Chapter 4

The next few weeks flew by for the newlyweds. Blair was very busy with her classes at Columbia; she had to write two term papers and she was studying non-stop for her finals. Her goal was to make the dean's list, which meant she needed to ace all of her classes. Chuck, on the other hand, wasn't quite as busy at Columbia, he was only auditing his classes, but things at the Empire were extremely hectic because of the holidays fast approaching. Manhattan was always bursting with people between Thanksgiving and New Year's, which meant the hotel was fully booked and Chuck was a content, albeit exhausted businessman. On top of all that, he was looking for a new place to live, and he couldn't seem to find the right one. Nevertheless, just because the time went by quickly didn't mean that it was uneventful.

* * *

December 19th

"I'm whisking you away tomorrow, so pack your overnight bag Mrs. Bass," Chuck said excitedly into his phone. He couldn't wait to get Blair away from the city for the night. They had both been so busy lately between school and work, and an uninterrupted romantic night, just the two of them, was exactly what they needed.

"What's the occasion?" Blair asked, pretending that she didn't know the significance of the date. She had a feeling that Chuck was planning something for their anniversary, but she was beginning to have her doubts as he hadn't mentioned anything about it until now.

"It's our one month anniversary tomorrow, as if you didn't know. We are escaping the city and going to Vermont. Just you and me, with a bed, a blanket, and a fireplace to keep us warm. No interruptions. Doesn't that sound wonderful?"

"Absolutely. I can't wait," Blair sighed. "Now I just need to think of a reasonable excuse to tell Serena. Any ideas?" She was having difficulty coming up with explanations to justify her increasingly frequent disappearances. Blair and Chuck had been sneaking around for the past two weeks and have yet to be caught by Serena or Nate. Nate was easy to avoid because Chuck and Blair did not spend much time at the Empire and the time they did spend there was not at his penthouse. Chuck had partially moved into a smaller suite in his hotel and Blair had only been there a couple of times since Bart's two-year mark. Serena was a little more complicated to evade, as she still lived with Blair and she was starting to notice that Blair was 'busy' more often lately. She wasn't completely lying about being busy because Blair was preoccupied with her studies towards the end of the semester, but what Serena didn't know was that Chuck had been slipping into Blair's room at night 2-3 times a week. They had even stayed at the Palace twice under the precedent that she was studying late at the library. Now that classes were over, Blair didn't have that to use as an excuse anymore, so she was fumbling with reasons not to be around Serena.

"Don't worry. I've talked to Dorota and we've come up with a pretty good cover story," Chuck calmly explained. "You are going to be babysitting Ana while Dorota and Vanya have a date night. Ana has been a bit fussy lately, so Dorota would prefer that you stay at her place because Ana will feel more comfortable in her own environment. Believable, huh? How could Serena not buy it?" he questioned her teasingly.

"Pretty good, Bass. Although, I'm sure that Dorota deserves full credit for this one. You never would have thought of babysitting on your own."

"Yes, I acknowledge that Dorota was instrumental in the development of the concept. Without her, I have the feeling that Serena might not be in the dark about us still," he chuckled. Chuck was thinking of one morning in particular. He was asleep in Blair's bed after staying over and was awoken by Dorota's scream and the crashing of the breakfast tray. It turns out that Dorota did not appreciate the site of Chuck's bare bottom which Blair had unknowingly revealed when she moved the covers as she got up to shower, and she started cursing loudly in Polish. The commotion drew Serena's attention and she stumbled towards Blair's room, frantic that something was wrong with Blair. Lucky for Chuck, Serena was rubbing her eyes and was quite not awake yet, giving him just enough time to grab the comforter and nestle under it so that he would remain undetected by Serena. When Serena questioned Dorota about her tirade, she simply replied that she clumsily tripped over the chair leg and dropped Miss Blair's breakfast. Serena must have believed her story because she quickly returned to her bedroom mumbling about how tired she was and Chuck didn't hear from her again that morning. Dorota, on the other hand, made her presence known and started whacking Chuck with a pillow once Serena was out of sight.

That was image that greeted Blair as she exited her bathroom dressed in her robe with her hair wrapped in a towel, and she couldn't help but laugh. Upon hearing Blair, Dorota glanced over, scandalized and said "I see Mr. Chuck's Bass ass" while at the same time Chuck peeked out from under the covers and gave Blair an innocent look, trying to convey to Blair that he was sorry he got caught. Both of their responses, as well as seeing Dorota holding a pillow over Chuck's half naked body, caused Blair to erupt into a fit of hysterical giggles so much so that she had tears forming in her eyes. Chuck soon joined in Blair's laughter, realizing how ridiculous the scene must look, and he gestured for her to climb back into the bed with him. Dorota stood there dumbstruck, but soon softened when she saw Chuck put his arm around Blair, kiss her chastely on the cheek, and whisper 'good morning' in her ear, while Blair's body melted into his.

"I come back later," Dorota said to no one in particular as she scooted out of the room, leaving Chuck and Blair in private. Ever since she saw how happy Blair was with Chuck that morning, Dorota has been staunch supporter of their secret relationship, helping them in whatever way she could.

* * *

The next day, Blair and Chuck met up at the helipad before taking the jet out of the city. Upon landing in Vermont, Chuck and Blair hopped into a waiting SUV and drove to a cabin that Bart had bought years ago, one that Chuck had only been to a few times. He had contacted the staff the previous week and arranged everything for their visit. He knew how much Blair loved the holidays, so he had them set the cabin up for Christmas, with a tree for them to decorate together. They weren't sure if they were going to be able to spend Christmas with each other, so Chuck thought they could have their own celebration early this year and establish some traditions that the Waldorf-Bass household would keep for years to come. Chuck was a little embarrassed to admit it, but he was really looking forward to future Christmases with Blair. In the past, he and Bart never really had any family traditions during Christmas, but he was certain that with Blair their future holidays wouldn't be like that. He envisioned them full of holiday cheer, Blair going over-the-top with decorations, food, and festivities.

They entered the picturesque cabin, which was set on mountainside surrounded by the snow-covered trees, and Chuck was relieved to see that everything was as he had hoped. His attention was then brought to the large tree in the main room when he heard Blair squeal, "Chuck, this place is perfect! There's even a Christmas tree!"

"Yeah, I thought that we could decorate it later," he said and couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. Blair was practically dancing around the room, checking out every aspect of the cabin, and seeing her so happy made Chuck feel warm all over. "But first, I want to show you the master bedroom," and he picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and quickly ascended the stairs.

A couple of hours later, Chuck and Blair were roused from bed by the ringing of the landline phone. The only people who knew they were there were the temporary staff and Chuck couldn't understand why they might be calling now. Reluctantly, Chuck climbed out of bed, threw on his boxers, and answered the phone. "Hello…Yes…This is unacceptable, that is why I am paying you... Well then you need to find me an alternative…What do you mean that is not possible?...Do you know who you are talking to?...No thank you, we'll be fine on our own."

Meanwhile, Blair had also gotten out of bed and wrapped herself in her robe. She quickly grabbed her phone to check her messages, hoping she would have time to scan them before Chuck caught her. They had promised to shut out the outside world, but she was just too anxious. Today was the day they would notify her about the internships and she desperately wanted to know if she had any offers. When she glanced through her messages, she was pleasantly surprised to see that she had multiple offers, but importantly, she had the two she really wanted. "Yes!" she proclaimed softly and she swiftly turned off her phone when she heard Chuck slam down the house phone.

"Bad news?" Blair questioned him, while she discretely tossed her phone into her bag. She then made her way over to him.

"You could say that," Chuck sighed. He wrapped his arms around Blair and kissed the top of her head. "The chef that I hired to cook us dinner has come down with a cold and won't be able to make it. It looks like we are going to have to cook for ourselves or have something delivered," he said with a dejected look on his face.

"That doesn't sound too bad," she said with a smile, trying to cheer him up and make him realize this isn't the end of the world. "We'll get take-out, what are the choices?"

"You just had to ask, didn't you?" he scoffed. "The only real option around here is pizza," and Chuck watched as Blair's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Pizza? Ugh, do you know how much fat and how many calories are in pizza?" Chuck's only response was a nod. "Maybe we can just cook for ourselves. It can't be too hard - I've helped Daddy and Dorota bake pumpkin pie before. Let's see what the cabin is stocked with," Blair replied brightly, trying to be optimistic about their current situation. Then she grabbed Chuck's hand and dragged him into the kitchen.

After scouring the refrigerator and pantry, they decided to cook filet mignons with fingerling potatoes and broccolini for dinner. Blair was responsible for the vegetables and Chuck was in charge of the meat, because he said, "that's the man's job." The first time they sat down to eat, the steaks were browned on the outside but still very raw in the middle, the potatoes were undercooked, and the broccolini was a tiny bit overcooked. The second time they sat down to eat, each with a glass of cabernet sauvignon, the meat still wasn't cooked enough, the potatoes were fine, but the broccolini was cold and soggy. The third time they sat down to eat, the bottle of cabernet sauvignon was more than half empty, the meat was thoroughly charred and tough, the potatoes burnt, and the broccolini inedible. This was when Blair threw up her arms and declared, "I give up."

"What do you want on your pizza?" Chuck asked with a sigh as he grabbed the phone.

"Pepperoni and extra cheese," she quickly answered and he gave her a skeptical look. "Well, if we're going to eat badly, let's be really bad!"

"I think we both know some other ways to be really bad, Blair," he purred back at her, his lips attacking her neck. "And don't worry Mrs. Bass, I know exactly how we can work off those extra calories."

"You're heinous Bass!" she proclaimed loudly but secretly loved the perverted ideas that were now in her head. "Now get on the phone and order that pizza – I'm hungry!"

* * *

A couple of hours later, after the pizza was consumed and the tree decorated, Chuck was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace with his back against with sofa, Blair nestled between his legs, and a cashmere blanket was the only thing wrapped around their naked bodies. Earlier they had exchanged anniversary gifts. Blair had given Chuck a simple platinum chain so that he could always wear his wedding ring close to his heart, "I know its not very masculine, but I also know you hate not wearing your wedding ring so I thought this might be a help," and Chuck replied by kissing her passionately and whispering, "I love it and I love you." Chuck's gift for Blair was a small album filled with pictures from their wedding, "I know its not perfect or very professional because I put it together myself, but I wanted you to have this to remember what I consider the most important day of my life," and she responded by returning his fiery kiss and murmuring, "It is perfect and I love you too." Now, they sat together in silent bliss, feeding each other cheesecake and savoring the moment before Blair interrupted, "Chuck, what do you see when you look into our future?"

"Are you asking if I think we are going to have a house with a white picket fence and 2.5 kids running around?"

"No, I mean in a few, say three years, what do you think we'll be doing?"

"Well, we'll still be married obviously, and I am hoping that in a couple of years everyone else will be privy to that fact too, or at least to fact that we're a couple. You'll have just finished Columbia by then, so we'll probably both be settling into our careers. Maybe talking about starting a family, but only talking since we'll both still be pretty young – you 23 and me 22. And I know we'll be in love and happy," Chuck said with a smile and he tightened his hold on Blair while kissing her cheek.

"You are so sweet. But I guess what I am wondering is, what do you see me doing? What do you think my career will be? This is one way that we're different. You've already started your life as a successful businessman, running your clubs and the Empire, and you seem to really love it. Although if I'm being honest, I've always pictured you taking back the reigns at Bass Industries and running the company yourself. Myself, I'm just not sure yet. I love being your wife, but I want to be more than that."

"Blair, don't you see that you already are so much more than simply Mrs. Chuck Bass," and he took her face in his hands and looked her straight in the eyes. "What you need to do is find something that you are passionate about."

"Besides you?" she quickly interrupted with a flirtatious look on her face.

This made Chuck laugh softly, "Yes, something besides me," and he cupped her face and kissed her lips before proceeding. "For me, I just kind of fell into this path and it feels right. I can't really picture myself doing anything else and I don't want to. Well, except maybe running Bass Industries. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, especially since we got married. It's my legacy, the Bass family legacy which is now yours too. So I spoke with some members of the board and we've agreed that I will take over at Bass Industries in a few years, after I've learned the ropes and I've finished at Columbia. I actually really like it there and I'm going to enroll full-time in the business program."

"Seriously?" she looked at him full of wonder but also with a hint of sadness in her eyes. Her tone softened and she said dejectedly, "I can't believe you didn't tell me any of this."

"Blair, I wasn't trying to keep any of this hidden from you," his face displayed the honesty with which he spoke. "Its all been happening so fast. I mean just last week they decided to consider my time at Bass Industries as credit hours, kind of like an internship. They are also going to count my work at the Empire and the classes I audited towards my degree. Of course it took a bit of persuading, but I think having the future CEO of Bass Industries as one of their students swayed them. I've been trying to find the best time to tell you all of this, but it just never seemed to appear. I'm sorry about that, but please know that it was not my goal to keep this, or anything else, a secret from you."

"I believe you Chuck," and she quickly kissed his lips. She couldn't be mad at him about this, considering she hadn't mentioned anything about her potential internships to him. "Wow, this is really great. I'm quite surprised but I am so proud of you for doing this. Are you sure though?"

"Yeah, I am sure. The board thinks it would be best if I had a college degree, and I've been enjoying the classes at Columbia more than I ever thought I would. We are still attempting to negotiate my admittance into the accelerated MBA program, but the school wants to wait and see how I handle the next semester. So I may need to take you up on some one-on-one tutoring Mrs. Bass to help me impress them with my vast intelligence." This comment earned him a chuckle from Blair. He then turned slightly more serious, "You, Blair, can be whatever you choose to be. You're so smart and determined, and once you decide what you want your career path to be no one is going to be able to stop you. That being said, I've always pictured you becoming a lawyer or working in the business world, maybe in marketing."

"Really?" she questioned, her voice unsure. "You don't think I'll go into fashion?"

"No, I don't see you working in fashion, maybe on the business side of things but not the creative side. Don't get me wrong, you have a fantastic sense of style, but you've lived with Eleanor's criticisms your whole life and I have a feeling you want to break free from her hold on you. Going into fashion wouldn't let you do that. Still, if you want a career in the fashion world I know you can do it and I would support you 100%."

"Truthfully, I don't want career in the fashion industry. I feel like everyone assumes that I will because I'm Eleanor Waldorf's daughter, even though it's not what I want. I've been thinking about law school and haven't ruled it out, but I'm just not sure," she shrugged and started to sound insecure. "There is something that I've been considering, something that I think I would really enjoy, but I'm not sure what type of career opportunities are out there and how people will react to the decision. Everyone has so many expectations of me, myself included, that I feel like no matter what I decide it still won't be enough."

"Blair, you have to be selfish and not worry about what anyone else thinks. You should do something that makes you happy, do what is best for you. If you are happy with yourself as a person, everything else will fall into place. Just trust yourself," Chuck said to Blair with an encouraging tone while gently stroking her arms, hoping that he could instill in her the confidence she needed to make the right choice for herself, regardless of other's opinions.

"Art history. I want to major in art history. And I've been offered internships at Christie's and Sotheby's, both of which would offer unique insights into the art world and the art market," Blair started getting more and more excited as she spoke, especially when she saw the approving grin on Chuck's face and not a shred of disappointment. She had not shared this with anyone before and she found talking to Chuck about it made it more real. "Also, both places have master's programs which would give me an edge in pursuing a career in the art world, even from the business side. Plus, if I'm still interested in law, Columbia's law school has a special program in which you can focus on the aspects of law that relate to art. Do you think I'm crazy?" she asked as she saw Chuck smiling brightly and laughing tenderly.

As Chuck listened to Blair talk, he watched as she transformed in front of him. There was something in her eyes as she spoke, a sparkle that has been missing for some time. She reminded him of the old Blair, who was so focused, passionate, driven, and alive. The girl who disappeared when Yale was taken away from Blair, the girl who was lost when Blair was a freshman at NYU, the girl who spent part of the past year hiding afraid of being true to herself. Now she was back with a vengeance and he couldn't be more elated. "Not at all," he chuckled and pulled her into a deep kiss to show her that he meant it.

"You don't think it's a cop-out, do you? I know it isn't the most glamorous or powerful career, but I really love the idea of working in the art world. This summer I spent a lot of time in the various museums in Paris, and it strengthened my desire to study art history. When I came back to Manhattan, I looked into the career prospects with an art history degree and started pondering being an art dealer, and what better place to do that than at a world-renown auction house," the enthusiasm in her voice as she spoke was undeniable. She had clearly thought this through and this is what she wanted to do.

"I think it sounds perfect for you. And it is in no way a cop-out. I think you know how much impact those auction houses have on the art community, they are quite influential. I bet it can also be a pretty glamorous job as well. You would not only be surrounded by beautiful works of art and extremely rich people, but they both have locations in the most fabulous cities in the around the world. So the only real question left is what's it going to be, Christie's or Sotheby's?"

"I'm not sure, but I have until December 30th to make my decision," Blair stated matter-a-factly, but then she turned slightly bashful again. "You aren't too disappointed, are you? This isn't the career most people are going to expect of Chuck Bass's wife. Ugh, I'm sure that I'm never going to hear the end of it from my mother about this."

"I could never be disappointed in you, especially not about this. I think people are going to extremely impressed that I have such an intelligent and amazing wife, and they will probably ask for advice and help regarding potential art transactions. As for Eleanor, you need to be more afraid of her finding out that we are married than this. This will be a walk in the park compared to that," and she scoffed at this because she knew he was probably right. "I'm so proud of you Mrs. Bass," and he kissed her again eagerly until she turned her body around to straddle him and whispered into his ear, "How about some real dessert now?"

* * *

Two days later Blair was frantically searching her penthouse, looking everywhere for her mother's diamond tennis bracelet, the one she 'borrowed' for her wedding. She hadn't seen it since then, although she was certain she didn't leave it on the yacht. She has a distinct memory of Chuck peppering her with kisses starting at her wedding ring and continuing all the way up her arm to the nape of her neck while they were on the plane. She remembers staring at him as he kissed the inside of her wrist and she saw the glistening of the diamonds near his lips. Now, her mother was going to be here soon and she needed to find the bracelet before Eleanor noticed that it was missing.

"Argh!" Blair let out an uncharacteristic scream and Serena came running into her room.

"What's wrong Blair?"

"I can't find my mother's diamond tennis bracelet anywhere. I've been looking everywhere for it and nothing! I can't believe I lost it – she's going to kill me," Blair proclaimed anxiously.

"What does it look like? Maybe I can help you look for it. When was the last time you saw it?" Serena questioned. She hated seeing Blair so on edge and she knew that Blair was nervous about her mother coming to stay with them over the holidays.

"It's a diamond bracelet Serena, what do you think it looks like?" Blair snapped with a sarcastic tone. She wasn't in the mood for Serena's pestering.

"Okay, I was just trying to help."

"I know, I just can't believe I lost it," Blair murmured apologetically. She was not only thinking about Eleanor's wrath but the bracelet was also very special to her because she wore it during her wedding. When she regained her composure she continued, "It's Harry Winston. It's stunning, with alternating brilliant round and baguette diamonds in a platinum setting. I borrowed it about a month ago."

As Blair was describing the bracelet, Serena suddenly remembered the diamond bracelet they found on the Bass jet coming back from California, just about a month ago. It couldn't be the same one, Serena thought although the description fit perfectly. Why would Blair have been on the Bass jet recently? The flight attendant mentioned that Mrs. Bass was the last woman to fly on the plane, and when she checked with Lily, she said that the bracelet wasn't hers. Maybe the flight attendant was wrong or misspoke or she wasn't working when Blair flew on the jet, because she certainly would have known Blair's name from all the times she traveled with Chuck while they were dating. But what if it was the same bracelet? What did that mean? Did Blair go somewhere on the Bass jet not too long ago? With all of these thoughts running rampant through Serena's brain, she decided the best thing to do would be to ask Blair if the bracelet was hers.

"Blair, I found a diamond bracelet just after the Thanksgiving break. I'll go get it - maybe it's the same one?" she asked with a not-so-subtle grin. Serena's curiosity was getting the best of her. She darted into her own room, grasped the diamond bracelet they uncovered on the plane, and quickly returned to Blair's bedroom.

As she opened her palm to display the bracelet, Blair's hands went to her face and relief flooded her body. "That's it!" she screamed and threw her arms around Serena. "You are my savior – I love you S! Thank god you found it!" and she bolted from the room to her mother's so she could put it back before anyone knew it was gone. Blair didn't notice the look of shock and confusion on Serena's face. Serena was speechless. She was trying to comprehend all of the repercussions of this revelation. Blair and Chuck had gone on a trip together recently and not told a soul, somewhere that Blair would feel the need to wear her mother's very expensive and elaborate diamond bracelet, instead of one of her own. Suddenly, Serena was brought back to reality by Blair's voice as she asked, "Where did you find it, S?"

"Oh, it was between the cushions on the sofa," she replied, still somewhat in a daze. That's when she decided she needed to talk to someone who knew just about as much about Blair and Chuck as she did. When she got back into her room, she quickly pulled out her phone and dialed. "Hey Nate, I know we aren't exactly speaking at the moment, but are you busy? Can I come over to talk to you about something, about Blair and Chuck?"

* * *

As Serena entered the penthouse at the Empire, right away she noticed it looked different. There were a few boxes littered around the place and when she glanced into Chuck's room, it looked barren. There were more boxes on the bed and the closet was mostly empty. She knew Chuck had a tendency to take off without a word, but he usually didn't take the time to pack beforehand. Besides, this wasn't packing for a trip, this was packing for a move. So when Serena walked into the main room she immediately asked, "Is someone moving?"

"Oh hi Serena, you're here," Nate tried to sound casual as he looked up from his video game. "Yeah, Chuck's moving out. Actually, he's staying in another suite for now, and I guess he'll move the rest of his stuff out when he finds a new place."

"When did he decide this? I spent Thanksgiving with him and he didn't say a word about moving out and finding a new place," a baffled Serena questioned Nate.

"I think it was a pretty quick decision. He told me his plans on the anniversary of Bart's death, so the beginning of December. He said that he couldn't stay in this penthouse if he wanted to have an honest chance of a future with Blair. He's changed, you know. Ever since the Saints and Sinners party he's been acting with a purpose, trying to be a better person for Blair."

"Well, that's why I came over, to talk about Chuck and Blair, and you've already given me some interesting information. Have you seen the two of them together at all? You wouldn't happen to know if they took any recent trips together?"

"Like I just said, Chuck has been staying in a different suite for a few weeks now, so I obviously don't see much of him. We hang out once in a while, but between finals and his job, there hasn't been much time."

"Well what about before that?" she quickly interrupted. "Do you know if he went anywhere just before Thanksgiving?"

"Funny that you should ask that," Nate chuckled, a little surprised that she asked about those specific dates. "Chuck did disappear for a few days right after his party. He said he needed to get away because of what happened between him and Blair. Why do you ask?"

"I went to California with Eric and Elliot to visit colleges the day after Thanksgiving and we took the Bass jet. On the flight back, we found a diamond bracelet on the plane and it turns out it belongs to Blair, well Eleanor actually."

"So what. Blair and Chuck went on trips all the time when they were together. She probably left it on the plane a long time ago," Nate said as if this was the most logical thing in the world.

"No, she borrowed the bracelet from her mother recently, about a month ago, and she was freaking out when she couldn't find it this morning. Nate, do you think that Chuck and Blair went away together and didn't tell any of us about it? Where would they go that they would want to hide it from us? And why would she need such a fancy piece of jewelry for the trip? Do you think its possible that they are still sneaking around? Have you seen them together at all? Think hard," she demanded as she finished her rambling line of questioning. Nate looked at her as if she had grown a second head and he couldn't help but laugh.

"That's an interesting theory you have Serena, but you need to calm down," Nate said and he patted her shoulder in an effort to get her to relax. "The only time I've seen Chuck and Blair together was on the anniversary of his father's death. He told me they spent the day together, even went to the zoo, and that night I walked in on them here having dinner." Then Nate's eyes went wide when he remembered their interactions that evening in the penthouse. "And they had a food fight, covered each other in chocolate cake, whipped cream, and strawberries."

"You're kidding right," she retorted. "We are talking about Chuck and Blair."

"Serena, I felt like I had entered the Twilight Zone, it was so surreal. They ran around the penthouse, throwing food, and trading witty barbs with each other. Honestly, they were being completely silly and I don't think I've ever seen either of them look happier, they were both smiling and laughing." Serena was completely flabbergasted by Nate's story. This didn't sound anything like Chuck and Blair, but when these two got together you never knew what was going to happen. Nate got Serena's attention when he spoke again. "Chuck's been pretty open about his feelings towards Blair and I know he wants to get back together with her, so why would he be sneaking around? It doesn't make sense."

"Unless it was Blair's decision to keep their rekindled relationship hidden," Serena said in an instant, as if she had just discovered a hidden treasure.

"Maybe," Nate sighed. "Chuck did say something about Blair wanting to make a name for herself before she could be his girlfriend. If no one knows that she's his girlfriend, then she would still be able to do that."

"It does sound like something Blair would do, and Chuck would probably go along with it to make her happy. With a bit more detective work, I bet we would know for sure," she said with a mischievous smirk on her face.

"What do you have in mind? Neither one of them are going to tell us anything. Those two can keep secrets better than anyone else I know."

"Perhaps we could force the issue."

"I'm listening."

"Well, both Blair and Chuck are going to be at my mother's Christmas party tomorrow night. We could arrange a date for Chuck, because we've noticed that he's been a bit down lately after the break-up with Blair," she said with fake sympathy.

"Serena, you are pure evil. I think you've been living with Blair for too long," but at the same time Nate was grinning from ear-to-ear.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow night," and Serena turned and left the penthouse. As soon as she stepped outside, Nate picked up his phone, "Kristen, what are you and Amy doing tomorrow night? I've got a really great friend who I think Amy should meet." At the same time, Serena opened her phone and dialed, "Hey Abigail, its Serena. Do you have any plans for tomorrow evening? Because my mother is having a Christmas party and I would love for you to meet my step-brother." Chuck and Blair wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

Meanwhile, across town, Eleanor and Cyrus were settling in at the Waldorf penthouse. They had spent the past couple of hours fussing over Ana and catching up with Blair. Jetlag was starting to creep up on them, so they decided that they would take an early night. Before going to bed though, Eleanor needed to make a quick phone call.

"Hello Lily, its Eleanor."

"Oh Eleanor its so good to hear from you. How is everything in Paris? Are you still there or are you back in NY?"

"Paris is wonderful, such a beautiful city during the holiday season. Cyrus and I just arrived in NY a few hours ago, we wanted to have a couple of days before Christmas to settle back in, become accustomed with time change," Eleanor said while stifling a yawn.

"Well you two are still coming to my party tomorrow night, correct?" Lily inquired.

"Of course. Actually that is why I am phoning. Would it be an inconvenience if we brought an additional person with us?"

"Not at all. Is Aaron going to be joining you?" Lily couldn't think of anyone else that they could bring with them.

"No, Cyrus and I have arranged a blind date for Blair," Eleanor said with a small giggle. "We'll be having dinner prior to your party and we thought it would be nice if he could attend your party as well."

"Oh," Lily immediately thought of Charles, and she wondered how would he handle seeing Blair on a date with someone else. Still it would be impolite to not allow Blair's date to attend. "That will be fine Eleanor. I'll see you tomorrow evening. Goodnight."

"Thank you Lily, and goodnight to you as well."

As soon as Lily hung up the phone with Eleanor, she began to mull over some way to ease Chuck's probable pain when Blair came to the party with a date. She decided to best option would be to keep him occupied by arranging a date for him as well. Flipping through her contact list, she saw the name of the girl she had in mind and instantly dialed the number. "Hello Amelia, this is Lily Humphrey however you may remember me as Mrs. Bart Bass. You helped renovate our apartment a few years ago…No I am not looking to redecorate anytime soon. I was wondering if you had any plans for tomorrow evening…Great. I am throwing a Christmas party at my place and there is someone that I would like for you to meet…Trust me, he's a true gentleman…Okay, it starts around 8pm. Do you remember the address?...Thank you and I'll see you tomorrow," and as Lily closed her phone a smile spread across her face.

* * *

Later that evening, Blair and Serena were sitting in Serena's room painting their toenails and planning their outfits for Lily's party the next evening. Serena was subtly probing Blair about her love life, but Blair was extremely tight-lipped about everything. Finally, Serena said the one name that caused all of Blair's walls to fall down.

"So, my mom said that Jenny is going to be at the party tomorrow night," and Blair's head turned so quickly she surely got whiplashed. The happy look that was on Blair's face earlier was gone, replaced by anger and despair.

"I wish that raccoon-eyed little slut would leave and never come back to this island," she said with venom in her voice. "I understand she is Lily's stepdaughter, but can't we just put all the Brooklyn trash back in Brooklyn for one night and have a proper Upper East Side Christmas party! You may have to keep an eye on me tomorrow and make sure that I do not commit murder, although I am sure that some people might worship me for eradicating that vile creature from this earth!"

"Calm down Blair. Together we'll have plenty of fun and we won't need to interact with her at all. Who knows, maybe she'll stay in her room the whole night," Serena said, trying to placate Blair. She hadn't seen Blair this worked up since her war with Chuck.

"I think I'm going to go to bed now Serena. I'll talk to you in the morning," and Blair left the room before Serena could say another word.

After she undressed and climbed into her bed, Blair picked up her phone and called Chuck. She had given herself some time to calm down because she knew it was in the past and everything between her and Chuck was great now. Still, she needed a little reassurance.

"Hello Mrs. Bass, to what do I owe the honor?" Chuck drawled into the phone. "I thought you would be busy with Eleanor and Cyrus tonight?"

"They were tired from the jetlag and went to bed early. Chuck, are you still going to Lily's party tomorrow night?" and he noticed that there was a hesitance in her voice. He began to wonder if something had happened with Eleanor.

"Yes. I was thinking that we might manage to sneak off into the coat closet for a bit and no one will know the wiser," he said, trying to cheer her up.

"Fine," she replied coldly. "Okay Bass, here's the deal. I trust you, I really do. And I am trying really hard not to be the jealous and controlling wife, but I just can't help it."

"What's going on Blair?" interrupted Chuck. He didn't understand what he could have done to bring this on.

"Serena told me that Jenny is going to be at the party tomorrow night," and Chuck finally knew what this was all about. "Every time I see her or someone says her name, I can't help but think of the two of you and my body fills with rage. I know she meant nothing to you, but it still really hurts knowing the two of you were together," Blair said with a sniffle as she started to cry.

"Blair baby, I am so sorry about that and if I could go back and change the past I would. But I can't," he said with regret. With a soft voice he continued, "I love you, only you Blair. You are my wife and I do not want anyone else. Tell me what I can do to make this better, so that it doesn't hurt so much," it was a desperate plea that left Chuck's lips.

"You're doing it right now," and her voice relaxed as she spoke. "And I love you too. I'm sorry that I'm having such a hard time getting over this."

"Its understandable Blair. You have nothing to worry about, I only have eyes for you," he purred through the phone.

"Good," and she let out a small laugh. "Oh, and Bass, I don't want you to go anywhere near that disgusting little tramp. If you do, I hope you like me in flannel because that will be all you see me in for the foreseeable future," she said with her classic Blair Waldorf spunk.

"Yes dear," he chuckled. Sure Blair could be a bitch, but she was his bitch and he loved her all the more because of that.


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Again, thank you so much for reading and reviewing my story. I truly appreciate every review and I will try to get back to each of you soon. This chapter contains Lily's Christmas party and I found it difficult to write. There are different conversations happening at the same time, but hopefully its not too confusing to follow. I'm not really happy with it, but I just wanted to get this out so that we can move on. I guess I bit off more than I could chew!

I don't own anything.

* * *

Chapter 5

Blair analyzed her appearance in front of the full-length mirror one last time before to walking downstairs to meet Eleanor and Cyrus. She was dressed in a strapless red lace over black Dolce & Gabbana fitted dress that ended just above her knees that she accessorized with simple black platform peep-toe Christian Louboutin heels. She felt a renewed confidence in herself and thought she looked pretty damn good tonight. She knew that Chuck would love her choice in attire, and for some reason that seemed to ease the constant fear Blair felt of Eleanor's scrutiny.

As soon as Blair, Eleanor, and Cyrus arrived at the restaurant, they were immediately seated. Blair noticed right away that there was an empty chair and place setting at the table and she gave her mother a puzzled look, which Eleanor acted like she didn't see. Not more than two minutes later, a young man was shown to their table. He was about 6'4" tall, with piercing blue-green eyes and blonde hair that wasn't short, but it also wasn't long. It was somewhere in between, like Gabriel Aubry or Taylor Kitsch. He was extremely fit and undeniably attractive; this man could pass for a model. He was dressed to-the-nines in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit and black shirt, no tie. At once, Cyrus and Eleanor rose from their seats to greet the young man.

"Theodore, I'm so glad that you could make it. I want you to meet our lovely Blair," and Cyrus turned towards Blair, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Blair, this is Theodore Langdon, and Theodore this is Eleanor's daughter, Blair Waldorf."

"Its very nice to finally meet you Blair," he said charmingly as he extended his hand to Blair. "Please, call me Theo. Theodore is such a mouthful," he chuckled and Blair reached out to shake his hand. His mannerisms and the way he spoke demonstrated a distinguished upbringing.

"Yes, it is very nice to meet you too, although I must say that I had no idea you would be joining us this evening," and she turned towards Eleanor and glared. "Mother, you should have told me that someone would be accompanying us for dinner," the false cordiality in her tone did not hide her aggravation at the situation. She felt incredibly uncomfortable and suddenly thought about Chuck and what he would think if saw this cozy dinner for four. This wasn't even her idea, so he shouldn't be too mad at her. Her parents had set her up with a date without consulting her first, the nerve of them! How did they even know this guy? He was probably some loser friend of Aaron's from high school – just what she needed. Still, he conducted himself with propriety, so that was unlikely. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by her mother's voice.

"Blair dear, this was a last minute idea. It must have slipped my mind to tell you with everything else I had going on today," Eleanor replied with a wave of her hand, as if this was an everyday occurrence and clearly avoiding the anger in Blair's eyes. She had gone behind Blair's back and set up this dinner, there was no denying that.

"Yes, your mother and I ran into Theodore yesterday when we went by my office to drop off some holiday cheer," Cyrus quickly interjected. "Theodore, I mean Theo," and he smiled at Theo, "worked in my office two summers ago. We always seem to bump into each when Theo is back in town on break, and we usually catch up over a coffee. When I saw him yesterday, I thought it would be nice to have him join us for dinner. I'm sorry that I didn't mention it earlier Blair, but as I'm sure you'll see Theo is a great guy."

"Yeah, I promise I don't bite," joked Theo and everyone at the table laughed, and inside Blair cringed. This was going to be a long night.

"So, Theo, how is college going?" prompted Cyrus.

"Oh, you're still in college?" questioned Eleanor. "Where do you go?"

"I'm a senior at Duke University in North Carolina. I'm back in NYC for the holiday. There is simply no place like Manhattan during the holiday season, if I may say so," Theo replied.

"Does that mean you are from Manhattan?" Blair asked even though she wasn't particularly interested. She knew questioning Theo would take the focus off of her, which she really wouldn't mind at the moment. She hoped to get through this dinner with her mother, Cyrus, and Theo quickly and unscathed, and then she would explain the entire situation to Chuck. He would probably laugh about this at her expense.

"Yes, I am. I come back to the city for the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks, as well as for the summer."

"You are certainly right about NYC during the holidays, it is a delightful city," Eleanor cut in, praising him and smirking at Cyrus. She was obviously pleased with Theo so far. "Theo, if you don't mind me asking, what do your parents do?" pried Eleanor with a hopeful look on her face. She was wishing that he didn't say anything to change her good opinion of him, while Blair was willing him to do so.

"My father is a neurosurgeon at Mr. Sinai Hospital and my mother is a professor of political science at Hunter College," and Eleanor began beaming. The look of approval on her face was frustrating the hell out of Blair. 'Why can't she just let me live my own life?' Blair thought. She was happy with Chuck, even if nobody knew that. She didn't need her mother butting into her love life. Besides, now was the time for her to focus on school and her future career, didn't Eleanor understand that!

"Do they live here, on the Upper East Side then?"

"Yes, they do Mrs. Rose. Actually, my mother grew up here and my grandparents on my mother's side live here still. My father is the import, he was raised in North Carolina. That is part of the reason why I chose to go to Duke, to be near his parents, my grandparents, for a few years and experience a little bit of my father's upbringing," he said confidently. Theo carried himself well and was not intimidated by Eleanor's line of questioning. He then turned to Blair and asked, "Blair, where do you go college? I know Mr. Rose told me previously, but I can't for the life of me remember."

"I'm in my second year at Columbia. Technically, its only my first year at Columbia because I transferred from NYU," she quickly added and steered the conversation back to Theo. He was bound to say something stupid and trip up soon, nobody was this perfect. "What are you majoring in Theo? You must be close to graduating, do you have future plans already laid out?" Blair had a feeling this would do it. Surely, he wasn't that put together. He was probably planning on living off of mommy and daddy or his rich grandparents, traipsing around the globe, like so many other trust fund babies do. Not her Chuck though, well not anymore. Even though he was rich beyond belief and didn't need to work, he still did and he was earning people's respect while doing it too, just like she hoped to do.

"I'm majoring in political science and I am currently applying to law school," and Blair realized that she lost this round as Cyrus and her mother exchanged approving glances. "I am hoping to come back to Manhattan for law school."

"You know, Blair has expressed an interest in law school as well, however she is still undecided about her major," Eleanor said in her normal condescending way, nothing Blair did would ever be good enough for her. That's when Blair decided to jump in feet first.

"Actually mother, I've recently decided on my major," Blair smiled, willing herself to continue.

"Really?" chimed both Eleanor and Cyrus as they turned their attentions to Blair, leaving Theo as an afterthought.

Using the band-aid approach, Blair elected to do this quickly. She knew her mother would never make a scene in the middle of a busy restaurant, and she would not condemn Blair in front of a virtual stranger. So she straightened her posture and spoke confidently, "I am going to major in art history."

In unison, her mother and Cyrus replied, "What!" and "That's wonderful!" respectively.

"Yes, art history. And I've secured an internship for the spring semester, but I'm still trying to decide which one to take, either Christie's or Sotheby's. I'll be able to learn the ins and outs of the art world at one of the most influential and reputable art dealers in the world," echoing Chuck's words and her own thoughts. She tried to maintain her self-confidence as she spoke. She glimpsed at Cyrus first knowing she would only find love, and she noticed the huge smile that graced his face and he was giving her a nod of approval. When she finally dared peek at Eleanor, she was surprised by what she saw. She was prepared for the worst. However, Eleanor was not wearing her customary look of disapproval, instead her face displayed an uncharacteristic look of concern.

"Blair, are you sure this is what you want?" Eleanor asked with a hint of worry.

"Absolutely," Blair answered with renewed self-assurance. "I've always loved the beauty in art, you know how often I frequent the galleries and museums in the city and I spent the summer touring the museums of Paris. I took AP Art History in high school and I just finished an art history class at Columbia, which I got an A in you should know," her voice laced with satisfaction. Blair then spoke softly, as if she was asking for her mother's support, "Mother, this just feels like the right decision for me. I've got an eye for it and I really believe that I can make my mark in the art world from behind the scenes."

"Well, if that is how you feel who am I to stand in your way. In the beginning, people doubted that I would succeed in the fashion industry, so I just had to prove them wrong. What I'm trying to say Blair is that you can be whoever you choose to be, you are a Waldorf woman!" Eleanor stated with pride.

"Thank you mom, you have no idea how much your encouragement means to me," blushed Blair and she rapidly covered her reaction by glancing at the napkin in her lap.

"We'll talk about your internship offers later," and she reached across the table, patted Blair's hand, and stared into her eyes. "I want to know all the details."

Blair was taken aback by her mother's sudden approval and affection, it was something she had been seeking for so long. She was brought back to earth by the sound of an unfamiliar voice - Theo. She had forgotten he was even at the table, listening to what should have been a personal family conversation.

"Blair, my grandparents are on the board at the Met and my grandmother is fairly good friends with the one of the curators there. If you like, I'm sure she could provide you with an introduction."

"Thank you Theo, I may just take you up on that offer," Blair answered politely, still in shock from her mother's reaction. Her mother and Cyrus again became distracted by their conversation with Theo, Eleanor was enthralled by him as soon as he mentioned he was a Garfield, so Blair excused herself to the ladies' room. When she was safely out of sight, she took out her phone and sent a quick text to Chuck, '**I'm so sorry. It wasn't my idea. I'll explain everything later. xoxo BCW-B.**' After a few minutes of peace and solitude, Blair returned to the table for the rest of dinner and saw her parents fawning over Theo. It was going to be a long night, but maybe not the worst night ever.

* * *

Upon entering the van der Woodsen/Humphrey home, Blair instantly scanned the room for Chuck. She saw him, a scotch in hand and chatting with Nate. He didn't acknowledge her, which meant that he hadn't noticed her yet or he was deliberately ignoring her because she was on a 'date' with Theo. Gossip Girl had very nicely sent out a blast stating that the Queen B had found herself a new devil, a blue devil, with an accompanying photo of the two of them at dinner with Eleanor and Cyrus. She hoped that he had seen her earlier text and would wait for an explanation from her before jumping to any conclusions. While all the potential scenarios were racing around in her brain, Blair saw Jenny and Vanessa coming down the stairs out of the corner of her eye. They stopped midway and sat on the steps, engrossed in conversation. Blair had a sneaking suspicion that they were up to no good, so she decided to convene an impromptu meeting of the Non-Judging Breakfast Club. She quickly excused herself and made a beeline for Chuck and Nate. "Can you guys meet me at the bar near the kitchen in a couple of minutes? I'm going to grab Serena," and she left without even giving them a chance to respond. Who were they kidding, when Blair said jump, you didn't ask how high you just jumped!

While Blair was talking with Chuck and Nate, Serena greeted Abigail at the door. "Abigail, I am so happy that you're here," she gushed as she gave her a quick hug. Both Chuck and Blair were here too, and she couldn't wait to put 'Operation Chair', her plan for uncovering Chuck and Blair's secret affair by making Blair jealous, into full motion.

"Thank you for the invitation and for letting me borrow this dress. I feel a bit like Cinderella," Abigail said nervously.

"Well the dress looks fabulous on you. Oh, here comes my mother, let me introduce you," and Serena waved her mother over.

"Mom, this is a friend of mine from Columbia, Abigail West. We took psychology together. Abigail, this is my mother, Lily Humphrey."

Abigail extended her hand to Lily and spoke, "Its very nice to meet you Mrs. Humphrey. You have a lovely home and this is quite the party."

"Thank you Abigail," said Lily as she shook her hand. "Its always nice to meet Serena's friends. This," she gestured to Rufus who was putting his arm around Lily's waist, "is my husband Rufus Humphrey."

At the same time the introductions were being made, Blair touched Serena's shoulder and beckoned Serena to follow her over to the bar where Chuck and Nate were waiting. "Excuse me, I'll be right back," Serena quickly interrupted and then she whispered in her mother's ear, "I shouldn't be more than a couple of minutes. Please keep Abigail company until I get back." Lily's reply was simply a nod.

As fate would have it, as soon as Serena walked away the elevator doors opened and Dan Humphrey entered the apartment. "Daniel, so good of you to join us. Come, I'd like to introduce you to one of Serena's friends from school. Daniel, this is Abigail West. Abigail, this is Daniel Humphrey, Rufus's son."

They shook hands and Abigail felt herself blush. "So, you're Serena's step-brother?" Abigail couldn't help but inwardly thank Serena for arranging this. She and Dan settled into an easy conversation about college and the classes they were taking, which extended into a debate about literature that went on for the rest of the evening.

* * *

Standing at the secluded bar, both Nate and Chuck were wondering what Blair wanted and what this had to do with them. Chuck had been waiting to have a few moments alone with Blair, so that he could try to make sense of why Blair was having dinner with another guy, and he was starting to get anxious. Her earlier text said she would explain everything, and he wanted answers pronto. When she approached him earlier he assumed it was so they could talk privately, not with Nate and Serena too. In the picture Gossip Girl sent through, Blair was smiling and Chuck couldn't help but get a little bit jealous. He trusted her, but he was only human. It didn't matter that Chuck could tell she was smiling at Cyrus and not her 'date', he was still envious. It also didn't help that Gossip Girl kept sending in regular updates about Blair's amazing 'date'; he was tall and blonde, he was a mixture of both 'old' and 'new' money, he went to Dalton before enrolling in boarding school, he was a senior at Duke, he was everything that Chuck wasn't and that got under his skin. It didn't seem fair that this guy was able to enjoy a public dinner and evening out with Blair, while Chuck, her husband, had to hide almost shamefully in the corner.

"Okay, we're all here now. What did you need to talk to us about so urgently?" Nate demanded when the girls met them at the bar.

"Its good to see you too Nate," Blair said condescendingly. "This may not directly impact you or Chuck like it does Serena and I, but you two are already involved so I thought the four of us could discuss it together."

"Discuss what?" Serena asked, not understanding what Blair was talking about. Chuck had been quiet this whole time, studying Blair and trying to decipher what has gotten her so agitated.

"Did you know that Vanessa is here tonight? After what she has done to you, I can't believe she has the audacity to step foot into your mother's home," huffed Blair. As soon as she said Vanessa's name, the other three glanced around the party for her and spotted her on the stairs with Jenny.

"What is she doing here? I could just wring her neck," vented Serena. "Do you know how much trouble she has caused me? That's not even including her trying to sabotage our friendship. I think I'm going to give her a piece of my mind, and maybe she'll decide to leave town again like Juliet did," and she started to turn away from them in the direction of the two Brooklyn girls.

"No wait," interjected Chuck as he grabbed Serena's arm to stop her. "You can't just confront her in front of everyone. Plus you don't want to ruin Lily's party. What we need to do is come up with a plan."

"Great minds think alike Bass, I was going to say the same exact thing," Blair couldn't stop the smirk she was sporting. She loved Chuck and she loved scheming, and scheming with Chuck was double the fun!

"What do you propose Blair?" questioned Nate. Blair was excited to see Nate's willingness to be involved. She knew Serena would want revenge on Vanessa and she was certain Chuck would help her out, but she wasn't sure about Nate.

Blair thought about this for a minute, rubbing her temples with her fingers. Then a wicked look took over her face, a look that Chuck recognized instantly. "Public humiliation is always good," she said slyly, "but it's even better when it is self-inflicted. We need to get Vanessa to incriminate herself, preferably in front of the Humphreys because they are the only people here who actually care about her. Ooh," she said suddenly and her eyes widened, "wouldn't it be great if we could takedown Jenny too? God knows all the shit she did to you and Nate last year, as well as to Chuck and I."

"Blair," Nate grumbled but was quickly interrupted by Serena who seemed rather excited to get her bitch on.

"I could challenge Vanessa about attacking my reputation and trying to get me kicked out of Columbia. Then I could tell her that Jenny told us she went behind our backs and submitted an application to Anne on my behalf."

"She won't be able to deny it because Vanessa is a horrible liar and she'll either confess to her crimes or she'll threaten Jenny about what she supposedly said," Blair cut in. "Either way, Vanessa looks like a fool. It would be the icing on the cake though if she attacked Jenny since the blonde tart will probably slice her to pieces, revealing her true colors in the process and everyone will know that her reformed, precious Little J persona is just an act." Blair was almost giddy as she spoke, relishing the idea of both Brooklyn girls being taken down a notch or two. Chuck watched her and a feeling of pride overtook him. This was Blair in her element; she was smart, sexy, and devilish all rolled into one. He couldn't help but get aroused when he saw Blair like this, she was so sexy when she was fired up! He was brought out of his thoughts by Serena's voice.

"Maybe we should wait a little bit before doing this. I think I need a little bit of liquid courage first."

"No Serena, you need to stay sober!" Blair practically yelled and Chuck and Nate couldn't help but laugh. "Let's wait for the party to die down a little bit, maybe in an hour or two, unless she looks like she is going to leave. If that happens, we'll have to act fast."

"Okay," they all chimed at once and Nate and Serena started walking away.

"Wait," and they turned to Blair who was still standing at the bar with Chuck. "We're still on for tomorrow right? Pre-Christmas lunch at Chuck and Nate's place?"

"Yeah, I'll be there," Serena answered.

"Of course, since it's at my place," Nate replied.

"Great!" Blair enthused as they started to walk away again. She then turned to Chuck and said, "Thanks for your support. I should probably get back to my mother and Cyrus now."

"Not so fast," and Chuck couldn't resist her any longer so he pulled her into a passionate kiss. Blair found herself lost in the moment and forgot where she was as she wrapped her arms around Chuck. Their moment didn't last long before they were interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Blair!" Eleanor murmured loudly in a scandalous tone, which caused Blair to turn beet red. "You have a date in the other room that you have left alone for long enough." Eleanor then turned her attention to Chuck and said with fake sincerity, "Hello Charles."

"Eleanor," Chuck nodded as he acknowledged her. "Blair and I were simply following holiday tradition," he smiled and pointed to the mistletoe that was hanging above them.

"I will never understand you two," sighed Eleanor, shaking her head as she walked away.

"Thanks Bass," Blair said as she swatted Chuck's chest.

"I aim to please," and she rolled her eyes at his words. "Meet me in my old room later. I'll make it worth your while," he whispered in her ear. Chuck then kissed Blair quickly on the lips and walked away before she could say no and leaving her wanting more.

* * *

As Serena and Nate walked away, she looped her arm through his and said, "How goes 'Operation Chair' on your end? I saw you talking with Chuck. Did he comment at all about Blair's date? We got an added bonus when Eleanor fixed Blair up."

"He hasn't said anything about Blair's date. Actually, he's been very quiet, brooding, since even before she arrived. And I think his scotch intake has increased, which usually isn't a sign that he's in a festive mood."

"Well, its time to put the next stage of 'Operation Chair' into action."

"I've got it covered," Nate quickly cut in. "Kristen just got here and she brought her friend Amy with her, so I'm going to introduce her to Chuck."

"What?" Serena probed. "Wait a second, who is Kristen?"

Nate shrugged his shoulders and said nonchalantly, "She's my date." He then walked off in the opposite direction and Serena felt like someone just suckerpunched her in the gut. Nate was moving on and she was literally still standing in the same place. Not wanting to watch Nate with his date, Serena started towards the other side of room, which probably wasn't the best decision. She was stopped dead in her tracks by the site of Abigail and Dan together, and she felt her eyes begin to water. They were sitting very close, laughing, and clearly having a great time. It turns out that 'Operation Chair' didn't accomplish what Serena had hoped it would. Instead, it had only succeeded in making Serena, not Blair, very jealous and lonely.

Nate greeted Kristen and Amy each with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You look great Kristen, and so do you Amy. I am so happy that both of you could make it tonight."

"Thanks for the invite," Kristen said giddily as she kissed his cheek. "I think I'm going to go and get a drink. Can I get either of you something?"

"No thanks, I've already got one," and Nate showed her his glass of scotch.

"Sure," Amy nodded. "I'll take a glass of champagne Kristen." Once Kristen left, Amy sidled up to Nate. "You know," she said as she started gently caressing his arm, "I really appreciate you including me in your plans tonight. Maybe later you will let me thank you properly for the invitation." She whispered that last part in Nate's ear.

"Whoa, Amy," replied a slightly flustered Nate, taking a step back. "I'm here with Kristen. I asked you to come tonight so that I could introduce you to a friend of mine."

"Come on Nate, we both know there isn't any friend," and again Amy moved closer to Nate so that they were barely touching. "And, we both know the real reason you asked Kristen to bring me along." She then took his drink from his hand, sipped it, and licked her lips, all while staring directly into his eyes.

He knew it was wrong, but Amy's actions were making his mind wander to places it probably shouldn't. He started thinking that maybe he wouldn't introduce Amy to Chuck. It wasn't selfishness on his part keeping Amy to himself. He was actually helping Chuck because he is, after all, trying to get back into Blair's good graces and Amy wouldn't help his cause. Serena's plan for making Blair jealous will just have to wait for another night he decided. After a minute, Nate turned to Amy and asked, "And what would the real reason be?"

"So that we can get to know each other before we have our own little party later. Kristen, you, and me, underneath the Christmas tree." Nate nearly choked on his drink and his eyes clearly showed his surprise at her words. That was not what he expected her to say.

At that exact moment, Kristen rejoined them. "Here Amy," she said as she handed Amy a glass of champagne. "So, what have you two been talking about while I was gone?" and she glanced first at Amy and then to Nate with a seductive look in her eyes.

"I was just telling Nate about our plans for tonight," Amy answered for both of them. Suddenly all thoughts of Serena, Chuck, and Blair vanished from Nate's brain and he started thinking with another part of his anatomy. As he took another sip of scotch and eyed the girls beside him, he began imagining the fun he would have unwrapping his Christmas gifts later.

* * *

"Finally its just the two of us Blair," Theo said as Blair made her way back to him. "I've been waiting all evening for a chance to be alone with you."

"What?" Blair was both surprised and worried. While dinner ended up being quite pleasant and Theo was actually a nice guy, she never gave him any indication that she was even mildly interested in him. She needed to set some things straight before anything got out of her control. "I'm sorry Theo, you are a nice guy and everything, but nothing is going to happen between us." She immediately glanced around the room for Chuck, hoping he wouldn't misinterpret this conversation, but alas she couldn't spot him.

"Of course not," he scoffed. "You're not my type," and this clearly offended Blair even though that was not Theo's intention.

"Thanks for the compliment. And what is your type exactly. Let me guess, tall, blonde, beautiful, and named Serena," she scowled. Even though she had no interest in Theo, it still bothered her to be constantly passed over for the perfect golden girl Serena.

"Believe me, Serena's not my type either," and Blair rolled her eyes at this.

"Please," Blair bemoaned. "I saw your eyes light up when you realized that the party we were attending tonight was at Serena van der Woodsen's family home."

"Blair, you couldn't be further from the truth," Theo said with a small laugh. "God, I thought you of all people would understand," he murmured while shaking his head from side-to-side.

"Understand what?" Blair questioned him. Her curiosity was peaked - she hated being left in the dark about anything!

"Your father is Harold Waldorf, right?" and the lightbulb suddenly clicked on in Blair's head. He really didn't prefer Serena, or any other female in fact, to her. Now she felt like an idiot for going on like she had earlier.

"Yes," she said calmly while nodding. She then linked her arm with his, signaling to him that she understood completely and giving him a warm smile of acceptance.

"So we're clear now?" Theo asked as he turned to meet Blair's eyes, portraying a skeptical look by tilting his face and raising a brow. Their heads inching closer together.

"Crystal," Blair stared him in the eyes and returned an even bigger grin. Relief washed over Theo's face, his features relaxed, and he leaned back a bit. This look of tranquility was soon replaced by a mischievous smirk which Blair had a feeling could only mean trouble.

"Great, now I need you to introduce me to someone who is here tonight," the anticipation was evident in Theo's voice. "Listen I haven't read Gossip Girl in more than three years, but if I remember correctly you were pretty close friends with Chuck Bass."

"You want me to introduce you to Chuck Bass?" Blair asked him with genuine interest. What could Theo possible want from HER Chuck? "Why? Do you need money or job? Or are you interested in finding a great afterparty?" Now it was Theo's turn to roll his eyes.

"Why do you think Blair?" he was a little surprised at her question. "Chuck Bass is sex on legs, a gay guy's wet dream. He's unbelievably hot and oozes sex appeal." Blair couldn't help but agree with everything that Theo was saying. Suddenly, she was engulfed with an overwhelming feeling of jealousy. She always knew that she would have to worry about other women hitting on Chuck, but she didn't realize that she would have to worry about other men too. "He carries himself with such confidence he's irresistible, and I bet he's great in bed too," Theo continued, he was practically drooling and Blair's eyes widened in shock. "Oh come on Blair," he scoffed, "I'm sure you've fantasized about him too." At this comment, an appalled Blair gasped and swatted Theo's shoulder. She chanced a glance in Chuck's direction and discovered that he was staring at her with his devilish smirk.

"Wait a second, is this a trick? Did Chuck tell you to say those things to me?" and she glared at Theo, her eyes boring into his to try and tell if he was lying.

"Come on Blair, why would I make this up?" The look on his face told her that he was telling the truth, and she softened. "So are you going to help me or not?"

She contemplated this for a minute before agreeing. On one hand she remembered the hurt and disappointment Chuck had in her last year when she tricked him into kissing that guy in exchange for the speech, but on the other hand it would be fun to see Chuck's reaction to Theo's intentions. The thought alone brought a smile to Blair's face. And it was not like she was asking him to do anything, just merely introducing two fellow rich and soon-to-be powerful Upper East Side men. She found herself nodding and saying, "Fine, I'll introduce you to the 'Great Chuck Bass', as if his ego needs to be inflated anymore. A word of caution though, I don't think you are going to get the outcome you want."

"Don't worry about me. I know what I'm doing Blair," he said cockily and she couldn't help but laugh at his arrogance. Maybe Theo and Chuck would get along better than she imagined, as long as they don't get along too well she'll be fine.

"Okay, it's your life. Don't say I didn't warn you," she chuckled and shook her head. "Now, if I do this for you what are you going to do for me in return?"

"Funny you should ask me that," he smirked. "While you were off chatting with God knows who, I overheard an interesting conversation between two young ladies, if you can really call them that, about you and your friend Serena."

"Really, that's what you've got. Everyone talks about Serena, have you never read Page Six?" she scoffed. Still, Blair couldn't help but be slightly intrigued, and she could use a little ego boost after that dinner with her mother. "Okay, where are these supposed ladies and what did they say?"

"You see those two girls over there in the corner, the ones with the horrible extensions. I mean seriously, that one girl looks like she dunked her head in a tub of peroxide." Blair didn't even need to look to know Theo was referring to, this story just got a bit more interesting.

"Oh yes, that bohemian-clad parasite with the horrible dark hair is Vanessa Abrams and the whorishly-dressed, peroxide-dyed, raccoon-eyed bloodsucker is Jenny Humphrey. They are both squatters from Brooklyn," Blair seethed. "They have been trying to make trouble for both Serena and I. You need to tell me everything that troll and hooker-in-training said. No paraphrasing." Maybe this was the break that she needed to catch those two and send them on their merry way. So she leaned in closer to Theo to make sure she didn't miss a word that he said.

"_So you haven't heard anything from Juliet either?" a worried Vanessa asked._

"_No I haven't since the Saints and Sinners party, I already told you that. I even went by her apartment and it was empty – all her stuff was cleared out!" Jenny exclaimed but in a hushed voice, trying not to attract attention to their conversation._

"_You're lucky Jenny, none of this could get traced back to you. I don't have the same luxury."_

"_Listen, you just need to calm down. It was mostly Juliet's idea anyway, and she is the one who actually kissed Nate and Dan at the party. Plus, they already know Juliet was out to get Serena from the ballet."  
_

"_Yeah, and I was with her at the ballet! Helping her! I'm surprised they haven't done anything to me yet. It's only a matter of time before Nate's mom tells someone that I am the one who gave her Serena's application. I'm not too worried about Serena when that happens, but Blair will shred me to pieces."_

"_Jeez Vanessa, get a hold of yourself. Its not like Serena and Blair didn't deserve it – it's about time someone taught them a lesson. Besides, what I did is so much worse than what you did. I stole Serena's phone, lied to my father, sabotaged my brother, and revealed Blair's secret affair to the world."_

"_Wait, that was you?" interrupted Vanessa. "I thought that was Juliet."_

"_No, that was all me," Jenny said proudly and then she started chuckling. "I shot three birds with one stone! You should have been there, it was great. Blair was yelling 'Serena, what are you doing!' after I dropped the curtain. God, it was priceless." Then both of them fell into a fit of hysterical laughter. _

"What?" Blair hissed loudly and grabbed Theo's arm tightly. "It was Jenny?" She asked in a very demanding tone. Blair was a bit shocked about this information. She had known for a while that someone had set Serena up, but she didn't know who. She really felt bad for her best friend because she had lost a lot due to these jealous, backstabbing bitches. But to find out that it was Little Jenny Humphrey shouldn't have surprised her as much as it did. This is the same girl who revealed her affair with Chuck to Nate in high school, slept with Chuck when she knew he loved her, sent the Gossip Girl blast about losing her V-card to Chuck in order to make a fool of Blair and Chuck, and now this. She wasn't about to let Jenny do anything else that could possibly hurt her relationship with Chuck, it was too important to her. The bitch was going down! "Thank you for telling me all of this. Now I need to figure out exactly how to take care of these bitches from Brooklyn." She and Theo huddled together and discussed potential plans of destruction.

* * *

Not far away, Chuck was watching the interactions between Blair and her 'date'. They were having a very animated discussion and were getting physically closer the more they spoke. At times they even touched and Chuck wanted to tear the guy's limbs off. He knew that he should trust Blair and control his emotions because this was not the place to act like a caveman and shout at this man to stay away from his woman, even if that is exactly what he wanted to do. When it became too much for him to take, he decided it was time to join their conversation so he made his way over to them. Blair couldn't see him coming, because her back was to him, but her 'date' could and when he recognized Chuck approaching his eyes suddenly opened very wide.

"Good evening, aren't you going to introduce me to your date Waldorf," and he coughed a couple of times before continuing, "Bass. I'm Chuck Bass." Chuck then extended his hand to Theo who had turned a slight shade of pink when he shook Chuck's hand. At first Blair thought Chuck was mad because he called her Waldorf, something he hadn't done in over a month since they were married, but then she caught the subtle Bass that he added on which would go completely unnoticed by most people. He was staking his claim, so Blair decided to appease any doubts he might have.

"Chuck, this is Theo Langdon. He worked in Cyrus's office two summers ago and is back in town for the holidays. Cyrus and Eleanor invited Theo to dinner tonight so that the men could catch up and talk about law school."

"Yes, I am hoping to come back to Manhattan next year for law school," Theo interjected, trying to get Chuck's attention as well as impress him.

"Well isn't that wonderful. The three of us will all be in NYC next year," Chuck said sarcastically as he eyed Blair seductively. "You know Theo, if there is anything you want to know about Blair, I could probably tell you. We've known each other for so long and we know each other so well, that sometimes I joke that I know Blair better than she knows herself. Like, did you know that when Blair was a little girl she wanted to be a ballerina?" Blair looked at Chuck, trying to figure out where he was going with this conversation. "I know she gave up that dream a long time ago, but I think she still practices in secret because she is extremely flexible."

"Bass," she groaned and elbowed him in the side. They both ignored that strange looks that Theo was giving the two of them.

"Oh, I bet you didn't know that Blair is quite an actress too," he said while looking directly into Blair's eyes, completely disregarding Theo's presence. "One time she was supposed to play Anna Karenina. Unfortunately that show was canceled prematurely, which is a shame because I would have loved to have seen her in that role."

"Please, Chuck," Blair pleaded but he just proceeded with his tale.

"She can also be very musical. Blair actually gave me a private concert on her piano once. She was so expressive when she was playing her favorite instrument, you should have seen the passion she exhibited during her performance."

"That's enough, Chuck," Blair sneered. Her face was flushed red from both embarrassment and anger. In an instant she grabbed him by his bowtie, pulled him towards her, and said very seriously, "Green is not a very good color on you Bass."

"Well, you look fucking amazing in red Blair. Maybe you should wear it more often," and he then licked his lips erotically, eyed her body up and down, and wiped his mouth slowly. Seeing Blair riled up with anger was an incredible turn on to Chuck and he was having a difficult time not taking her right there in front of everyone.

"Ugh, you're heinous Bass," and she gently shoved him in the chest. "Good luck with him Theo, I'm going to refresh my drink." She walked away with a little extra swagger in her step knowing that Chuck was following her with his eyes and she couldn't help the smile that graced her lips.

* * *

On the other side of the room, Eric was startled to see a vaguely familiar person talking to Lily, but he couldn't understand why she would be here. In order to ease his fears, he confronted Lily about her. "Mom, who is that girl you were just talking to? She looks familiar."

"Do you mean Amelia? You've met her before. She helped with the apartment renovations a few years ago, right after my wedding to Bart."

"Yeah, I remember her now." Really, he had never forgotten her or the ramifications of her existence. He just couldn't understand why she was here tonight. "What is she doing here? Is she someone's plus-one?" He was honestly afraid of what would happen if Blair found out who she was, but if she was someone's date that would soften the blow.

"Actually, I invited her. Eleanor phoned me last night to let me know that she had arranged a date for Blair. I know that Charles has some unresolved feelings for Blair and assumed that he would be upset to see her with a date. So, I thought that it would be a good idea to try to distract Charles by setting him up with someone, so I asked Amelia to come."

"Mom," Eric sighed. "Chuck doesn't simply have unresolved feelings for Blair, he is in love with her. He only wants her - that is why he is waiting for her." He emphasized the last bit to make sure that his mother understood. Shaking his head, he then proceeded, "God, of all the women on the Upper East Side, you had to pick Amelia. I hope that Blair doesn't find out who she is."

"Why would you say that? Amelia is only here because I asked her to come and as far as Blair knows she is an acquaintance of mine. I haven't even introduced her to Charles, so Blair never has to find out that she was invited under the premise of being Charles's date," Lily defended.

"Except for the fact that Chuck already knows her quite well," and Lily gave Eric a questioning look. "How do I say this delicately?" Eric considered his words carefully. "Right after your honeymoon, when Chuck was supposed to be on a plane flying to Tuscany with Blair, he was joining the not-so mile-high club here on the ground in NYC with Amelia."

"Oh," bemoaned Lily as she realized what Eric was saying and suddenly she appreciated why Eric was so concerned about Blair recognizing Amelia. "Poor Blair."

"Yeah, poor Blair is right," Eric interrupted. "Or maybe we should be saying poor Chuck. Between Jenny being here and now Amelia, there is a good chance that there are going to be pieces of Blair, and possibly Chuck, all over the place."

"Well, maybe it won't be that bad. Blair won't want to make a scene, especially with Eleanor and Cyrus here. Besides, chances are that Blair doesn't even know what Amelia looks like. Maybe we can distract Amelia, introduce her to someone so that she won't even be tempted to go near Charles."

"Okay, but who?" Eric asked and both he and Lily scoured the room for someone to aid them with their little scheme. Out of the blue, Eric had an idea. "What about Elliot? I'm sure if we explained the situation to him, he would be happy to help."

"I think we might be a little too late. Look," and Lily pointed her glass in the direction of Chuck, who now was talking alone with Theo after Blair left them to get a drink. When Eric gazed across the room, he saw what his mother was referring to – Amelia was walking towards Chuck.

"Oh no, I'm going to find Blair," Eric quickly interjected and he left to do just that.

When Eric approached Blair, she was standing to the side by herself, sipping her drink, off in her own little world. "Merry Christmas Blair," he said softly.

"Oh Eric," Blair sighed, coming out of her daze. "Merry Christmas. It's so good to see you," and she hugged him tightly.

"Is everything okay Blair? You seem a bit preoccupied."

Blair couldn't stop fascinating about the things she would like to be doing in private with Chuck right now, and while she was still slightly flushed from their earlier conversation these thoughts of hers were not helping the color that remained in her cheeks. "I'm just thinking about a promise that Chuck made me," and she blushed at her own frankness.

Eric peered across the room and noticed that Amelia was now pawing Chuck. He mistook the rising color in her face for anger and assumed the worst regarding the comment Blair just made. Eric decided to defend his brother to Blair. He hoped that he could make her see that Chuck didn't want Amelia, he only wanted her. "Blair, Chuck had no idea she was going to be here tonight. Please don't be mad at him, it will ruin his Christmas, it will ruin him. My mother is the one who invited her."

"Who are you talking about?" Blair asked Eric as her eyes caught sight of Chuck being practically molested by some skinny blonde.

"A-Amelia," Eric stuttered and he realized that he had mistakenly let the cat of the bag.

Blair was completely focused on Chuck and didn't move a muscle when she spoke. "The decorator from three summers ago? The slut that Chuck chose over me and Tuscany? That Amelia?" she demanded, her voice rising as she spoke.

"Yes, that Amelia."

* * *

Chuck and Theo were actually getting along and having an enjoyable conversation about Columbia, Chuck was enrolling there full-time next semester and it was Theo's top choice for law school, when a scantily-dressed skinny blonde approached them. "Chuck Bass?" she questioned with a flirtatious smile.

Chuck looked at her strangely, trying to recall if he knew her, before replying curtly, "Yes. Do I know you?"

"Why yes Chuck, you do. My name is Amelia," she purred as she positioned her body close to his. "And we know each other intimately." Amelia clutched his arm and then elaborated, "While I was helping your step-mother with the renovations to this place, you were more than willing to lend me hand."

As the identity of this woman finally dawned on Chuck, his face morphed into one of fear and anger. He fiercely jerked his arm from her talons and spat, "Get your dirty hands off of me." The last thing he needed was for Blair to see him talking with Amelia. Immediately, he searched the room for Blair only to see her staring right back at him. Her face was blank, expressionless, and he knew she was putting on a mask to hide her true feelings. She then abruptly took off down the hallway. "Shit," muttered Chuck and he excused himself to go find Blair.

* * *

Chuck found Blair sitting on the bed in his old room with her head down so he couldn't see her face. "Blair," he whispered as he approached her. He dropped down to his knees and took her hands in his own. "I didn't know she was going to be here tonight. Please believe me, I would never do that to you. I love you."

"I know, Eric told me," and she raised her face to look into Chuck's eyes. He noted the sadness in her eyes. "It just hurts, you know," she wiped a stray tear that escaped her eyes. After a minute or so she continued, "Who knows what would have happened if you had come to Tuscany. Do you think we would be where we are today?"

"I don't know Mrs. Bass, but I am so happy with our present that its hard to question the past." She quirked her brow at his words, but he ignored her look and kissed her. "Obviously I regret what I did because it hurt you, but we've moved forward and we're stronger because of it. I think we're in a really good place now Blair, and I am not going to let anything come between us again."

"God, Bass, you really do have a type, don't you? Sluttily-dressed, tall twiggy blondes." Blair chuckled and kissed him back. She then leaned her forehead against his, cupped his face in her hands, and turned serious. "This happened in the past Chuck, and we can't change what happened then as much as I wish we could. But we can control the future, to some extent at least. When we said 'I do', it was a fresh start for us, an empty canvas that we can paint a life together on. This marriage is it for me. You are it for me. You are my future, you are my forever and I have no intention of ever leaving. But if you cheat on me, I don't think I'll recover and magic between us will be over."

He looked into her glassy eyes and strived to think of the right words to convey how he felt. He failed to find them, so instead he kissed her and tried to put all of his feelings, all of his love for her into the kiss. When they broke the kiss, Chuck simply said, "I love you Mrs. Bass and," Chuck was cut off before he could continue by a loud gasp.

Both Chuck and Blair turned quickly in the direction of the noise. They were so consumed with each other that they hadn't noticed Eric enter the room. Eric struggled to find his words but at last spoke, "I wanted to make sure you two were okay." He paused and they just stared at him, wondering how much he had overheard. When he finally put together what he had heard and collected all his thoughts, a huge smile spread across his face. "Oh my god, I can't believe you two got married!"


	7. Chapter 6

A/N: Happy New Year Everyone! I am so sorry that it took me so long to update – real life has a way of taking over. I should have mentioned earlier, but the Eric in my story is a bit different from the current Eric on the show, however this is the Eric I remember from S1-3 and the one I prefer.

Again, thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing my story. I truly appreciate every review and I will try to get back to each of you soon. Also, thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and this story even though its been a while since I've updated.

I don't own anything.

* * *

Chapter 6

"Oh my god, I can't believe you two got married!" said a shocked Eric with a huge smile on his face. His hand instantly found its way over his mouth, as if he had let out a secret he wasn't supposed to but really he was just trying to cover his grin and surprise at his proclamation.

Immediately, both Blair and Chuck jumped to their feet and simultaneously shouted, "No, no, no," and "What!" They looked at each other full of panic that their secret, something so sacred to them that they had worked so hard to keep hidden, was now out in the open. Chuck then turned to Eric and reasoned, "I am not sure what you think you heard, but I believe you have misinterpreted the situation Little Brother."

"What I heard was you referring to Blair as Mrs. Bass. Multiple times," retorted Eric, now with a proud smirk on his face. He wasn't sure why, but the idea of Chuck and Blair being married made him incredibly happy.

"It is simply a term of endearment, Eric. Blair loves it when I call her Mrs. Bass," and when the words left his mouth he couldn't help that the corners of lips curled up and the subsequent smile, a true smile, that overtook his face. He instinctively reached back for Blair's hand and held it tightly, wanting to feel a connection to her. Even though his words were laced with denials, his actions were more of a confirmation.

The looks of pure, unadulterated joy that both Chuck and Blair were trying to conceal told Eric that it wasn't simply a term of endearment, that it was much more than that. "Then why was Blair talking about your marriage and saying 'I do's'?" he further probed.

"I was speaking metaphorically, talking about the future," Blair piped up, entering the conversation for the first time.

"Blair, you used the past tense. 'When we said I do' is exactly what you said. I'm not Serena or Nate, I actually pick up on things." Then Eric paused and his face contorted to one of complete shock and awe. "Oh my god, you're pregnant!"

"What! Are you drunk?" screamed Blair as she squeezed Chuck's hand, but Eric ignored her and continued on with his rant as he paced around the room, waving his hands. Both she and Chuck slowly sat down on the bed when they realized that knowing Eric, this was going to take a while.

"That would explain it. Honestly, we all know that you two are going to get married someday," Eric was talking to no one in particular, just airing his thoughts outloud for Chuck and Blair to hear. "Huh?" questioned Chuck as he turned his head to Blair with a questioning look on his face as they listened to Eric go on excitedly.

"I mean, who knows who Serena will end up with; one week its Nate, the next week its Dan. I'm not sure about Elliot and myself or even if Mom and Rufus are going to make it, but I always knew that you two were made for each other." At this comment both Blair and Chuck smiled at each other as he wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders and kissed her temple. He then whispered to her, "I think he's definitely had too much champagne. Listen to him ramble." At this they both chuckled while Eric continued talking, not paying them any attention.

"I just didn't expect you to get married so soon. The way you talked over Thanksgiving, I thought we would have to wait some time before the inevitable Waldorf-Bass merger. Plus, I assumed you two would have a huge, spare-no-expenses wedding. But a baby would explain everything," Eric stopped talking for a second and just started beaming. "I'm going to be an uncle!"

Chuck knew he needed to put an end to Eric's overactive imagination. "Stop it Eric," he demanded and Eric stopped where he was and just stared at Chuck. "Blair is not pregnant."

The giant smile that had been dancing across Eric's face disappeared before he sadly uttered, "Oh, that's too bad. I guess you're going to tell me that I was wrong about you two getting married too." He looked like a little boy who had just broken his favorite toy or whose puppy had died. The crestfallen look on Eric's face crushed Chuck, who gave Blair a pleading look, which she interpreted as him asking her 'should we tell him?' - she knew he was leaving that decision up to her. Soon enough Blair stood up and walked over to Eric, looping her arm through his. "Hey Eric, you'll be an uncle someday, we'll make sure of it," and she glanced over to Chuck on the bed to see him smirking. "Just not in nine months, okay?" and they both laughed. "Now, how about a hug to officially welcome me into the family?" She waited with her arms wide open to see how Eric would react, if he would catch her not-so-subtle hint regarding the change in their relationship.

Eric smiled and immediately wrapped Blair into a hug. "Now you really are my sister."

Blair responded by nodding and saying, "I know, isn't it great! I've always considered you my brother, but now it's official." She looked up and was struck by the expression on Chuck's face. He seemed really happy and proud, grinning from ear-to-ear. When their eyes connected, he got up and made his way over to Blair and Eric. He gently patted his brother on the back and put his other arm around Blair, as she snuggled into his chest.

"Eric, Blair and I haven't told anyone yet and we don't plan to,"

"But," Eric interrupted and he was silenced by Chuck raising his hand.

"We have our reasons," he quickly interjected. "Can we trust you to keep our secret? We are not hurting anyone by hiding our relationship. This is just something that we would like to keep to ourselves for the timebeing."

"Of course you can trust me, I won't say a word." Eric stuck out his hand to shake on it, an action that Chuck readily returned. Before he knew it, Eric had engulfed Chuck in a hug and quietly said, "I am so happy for the two of you. Seriously, this is the best decision you've ever made."

Without delay, Chuck agreed, "Believe me, I know it."

"Okay, I hate to break up this male bonding session, but Chuck and I actually need to discuss some new developments and strategic changes." Chuck eyed Blair questioningly, not quite understanding what she was referring to. "Actually Eric, we could use your help. Don't worry, you won't get your hands dirty. I just need to know where Serena's things are from when she stayed here before Thanksgiving."

"Only if you promise to give me all the details on your nuptials soon!"

* * *

After Eric showed Chuck and Blair what she wanted, he left to rejoin the party. Blair then told Chuck everything that Theo had overheard and the plan that Theo and Blair had concocted - it turns out that Theo knows a thing or two about scheming. They also informed Serena and Nate of their new gameplan, and the five set about putting everything into motion.

"Alright Serena, are you ready to get your bitch on?" Blair asked excitedly. They had decided that enacting revenge on Vanessa was up first, and Serena was actually pretty enthusiastic about taking the girl down after everything she had done to her over the past few months. "If you get stuck and need some inspiration, just think – what would Blair do right now and you'll be the perfect bitch."

"I am absolutely ready! Let's get this party started!" proclaimed Serena as she grabbed two glasses of champagne and made her way towards Vanessa, who was talking to Dan and Abigail. Blair trailed behind her, knowing that it would be best for her to make a delayed entry and for Serena to start things on her own.

"Oh there you are Vanessa. I was looking for you," Serena said with fake cheer.

"What do you want Serena?" scolded Vanessa, as Dan and Abigail stared at her surprised by her spiteful tone.

"Well, since you are at _my mother's_ party, in _my mother's_ home, I thought I would be nice and wish you a Merry Christmas," and Serena handed a reluctant looking Vanessa a flute of champagne. "And I wanted to let you know that I've arranged a sort of present for you." Serena then clinked her glass to Vanessa's and took a hearty sip of champagne.

"You really don't need to give me a present Serena," Vanessa replied with a shaky voice, unsure of what Serena could have gotten her. She took a sip of the drink that Serena gave her and when she settled down a little she continued, "After all, I didn't get anything for you."

"Nonsense. You've done plenty for me," and the threat in Serena's voice was clear, not only to Vanessa, but to Dan and Abigail as well. This was not a friendly gift, this was revenge, and Dan recognized it immediately. Not wanting Abigail to be witness to the upcoming scene, Dan discretely told her that she should get herself a drink and he would find her when this was finished.

"You see, I heard that you were in a bit of bind at NYU. You missed quite a few classes when you ran to Mommy and Daddy in Vermont with your tail between your legs after people found out about the lies you spread about me. Now your scholarship is in jeopardy, as well as your spot in the Tisch writing program. So, in the spirit of the holidays, I decided to help out your poor, unfortunate soul," Serena's eyes danced with malice as she spoke.

"What did you do Serena?" Vanessa asked, now more than slightly scared about what Serena may have done.

"Well, I followed your lead and wrote to one of your professors on your behalf. I told him that you would be willing to do _anything_," strongly emphasizing the this word, "to maintain your position at Tisch."

"You bitch – how could you?" Vanessa seared. She didn't know what Serena had written to her professor, but she could only imagine that it wasn't good.

"Actually, it was quite easy. I took a page from your book. Wait, let me rephrase that – I took a page from yours, Juliet's, and Jenny's book and I stole your phone. From there, I simply emailed your professor using your address."

"Whoa, wait a second," Dan interrupted. "What do you mean by a page from Vanessa's, Juliet's, and Jenny's book? What are you accusing my sister of?"

"Oh Dan, I forgot that you don't know everything that your vindictive ex-girlfriend/roommate and your scheming sister did. Maybe you should ask Vanessa about it," seethed Serena as she glared at Vanessa. The connotation Serena made was evident and Vanessa realized that Serena knew the truth.

"Vanessa, what is Serena talking about?" Dan turned and questioned Vanessa, not understanding what Serena could be referring to. "I know about the mishap with Juliet and the message to the professor, is there more?"

Vanessa had two options; she could lie and take a chance that Serena didn't know all the details, or she could tell the truth and risk losing what was left of her friendship with Dan. She decided to go with a third option and avoid the discussion at all costs. "Dan, can we talk about this later? I don't really want to get into it in the middle of a party."

"If you don't want to tell him Vanessa, I can," warned Serena. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Blair nodding, encouraging her, and then peered to her left and saw Nate standing there with Chuck. "Look, there's Nate. I think it might be good for him to hear this too," and she gestured for Nate to join their little group.

"Hey, what's up?" Nate said as he came over and patted Dan on the back.

"Serena, please. Not here," begged Vanessa.

Serena ignored her and started talking as if she hadn't said a word. "Vanessa was just about to tell us about her most recent foray into the world of deceit and deception with Juliet and Jenny. Isn't that right, Vanessa?"

It was now Nate's turn to play his part in their plan, so he pretended that he didn't know what Serena was talking about. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Oh, I'll let Vanessa tell you and Dan what she did along with Jenny and Juliet."

"Vanessa, if you don't tell us right now I'll get Serena or my sister to tell us the truth," Dan said vehemently. He wanted to know what the hell was going on that could possible involve Serena, Vanessa, Jenny, Nate, and himself.

Realizing that she was backed into a corner, Vanessa begrudgingly began to speak. "Juliet and I asked Jenny to help us get revenge on Serena. So Jenny stole the card from Serena's phone and we may have used it to send a few texts claiming to be Serena."

"When was this?" Dan demanded while Nate asked, "Who did you text?"

Vanessa had been hoping that her vague story would be enough to placate Dan and Nate, but obviously it was not. By the looks on Dan's and Nate's faces, as well as Serena's, she recognized that she was going to have to tell them everything. "It was the day of Chuck's Saints & Sinners party," and the significance of the date registered with both Dan and Nate – it was the date when Serena had agreed to meet with both of them but stood them up. Vanessa could tell that they knew what this meant, but they were waiting for her to continue. "Jenny is the one who sent you the text messages agreeing to your dates."

"Vanessa, why did you do that?" fumed Dan and Vanessa looked devastated.

Serena stood to the side with her arms crossed in front of her, grinning like the Cheshire cat, before she interjected, "Wait, don't answer that yet. You haven't even gotten to the best part. Tell them what happened at the party," insisted Serena.

"But that wasn't even me," Vanessa pouted, her hands rolled into tiny fists.

"Maybe it wasn't, but you were involved so why not just confess everything. Cleanse your soul," teased Serena with a patronizing tone.

"Serena didn't kiss either of you at the party – it was Juliet dressed up like Serena." Dan and Nate looked at each other and then at Serena, who simply smirked back at them as if to say 'I told you so!' Then Vanessa turned to Serena and said, "Are you satisfied now? Your perfect image is back in place."

"I'm not even close to being satisfied. You not only wrecked my relationships with Dan and Nate, but you also tried to sabotage my friendship with Blair by telling Nate's mother that I was interested in the Girls' Inc. foundation."

As if on cue, Blair strolled over to the foursome, "Did someone say my name?"

"Great," Vanessa sighed. She knew she was in trouble now. Serena on her own was enough, but Serena and Blair together spelled disaster. And just when she thought the night couldn't get any worse, Chuck Bass approached the group with his devilish smirk on his face and a look in his eyes like a predator about to eat his prey.

"Hi B, I was just about to tell Vanessa here about our little surprise for her. You know, since she was so helpful with our applications for the Girls Inc position," remarked Serena slyly.

"Oh, that's right, S. I almost forgot to thank Vanessa for that," Blair replied happily, clearly enjoying watching Vanessa squirm. "Vanessa, thank you so much for being such a good friend to Serena and I," and Vanessa rolled her eyes because she knew it was a blatant lie.

"Serena, what did you mean by 'little surprise'?" Vanessa shyly probed, visibly nervous with the increasing size of the group, as well as by the threat that both Serena and Blair posed. The three gentlemen realized what was about to happen, and none of them did anything to stop it.

"Well I didn't get to finish telling you about it earlier when we got sidetracked by your confessing to stealing my phone, sending Dan and Nate on fake dates, and telling us how Juliet, not me, kissed them both at Chuck's party," raged Serena. She quickly composed herself and carried on, "As for the rest of your surprise, I was having a hard time thinking of what I could do to help you keep your spot at Tisch, so I asked Blair to help me. I knew she still had contacts at NYU and Tisch, plus she has a way of convincing people to do things," she chuckled as she looked at Blair, who was smiling widely now.

"Yes, _V_," Blair's voice was laced with contempt, "you're lucky that I still have some connections at NYU which I used to help you out. I was able to convince the people at Tisch that you would be willing to write, film, and star in a public service announcement out of the goodness of your heart. In exchange they have agreed to let you maintain your scholarship, as well as your place at Tisch."

"Okay, that doesn't sound too bad. What's the catch?" Vanessa asked timidly, knowing this was too good to be true.

At that both Blair and Serena couldn't help but laugh. "Oh Vanessa, why do you think there is a catch? Do you really think that is something I would do? Can't you just accept that Serena and I are trying to help you?" Blair implored.

"No, I can't," Vanessa answered honestly.

"You're a smart girl Vanessa," Serena cut in. "Surely you know we weren't going to let you mess with us and get away with it." She was now at her wits end and she was having trouble containing her anger at Vanessa.

"S, calm down," Blair interrupted, putting a soothing hand on Serena's arm. "Why don't I finish telling Vanessa about her assignment?" and she flashed a mischievous grin at Serena and then Chuck.

"Good idea B."

"First, I thought that you could be the face for Girls Inc, and make a PSA to show young girls about women's empowerment. However, when I spoke with Anne Archibald about it and gave her your resume, she simply said '_Vanessa Who?_' – right Nate?" and Blair turned towards Nate who only nodded his head up-and-down in recognition. "It seems like you made a real impression on Nate's family when you two were dating," Blair chuckled. "After Girls Inc. was ruled out, we had to think of a new topic for your project. That is when I ran into Chuck and we started discussing potential themes for your PSA. He came up with a really great idea and your professors agreed to it." Both Chuck and Blair were nodding in agreement. An overwhelming feeling of hopelessness overcame Vanessa as she could not even begin to imagine what sick and twisted game Blair and Chuck had planned for her.

"Vanessa, I don't know if you know, but a few years ago a medical grant for teens with genital herpes was established in my name," said Chuck smoothly and Vanessa's eyes displayed her recognition of the fact, considering it was she who set it up. "Well, in an effort to make myself look more charitable, I have invested more of my personal funds in this grant. After talking with Blair, I decided that you would be perfect as the public face of a genital herpes 'foundation'." Nate and Dan's faces dropped at Chuck's words, while Blair and Serena smiled in agreement with Chuck's statement.

"What?" Vanessa challenged.

"Its not a difficult concept Vanessa," Serena condescended. "You are going to be the star in a televised public service announcement on genital herpes, and because of that you get to stay at Tisch. Isn't it great – we all win!" Serena was openly pleased at Vanessa's humiliation. "Everyone, raise a glass to Vanessa and let's congratulate her on the role of a lifetime, the stigma of which she'll never be able to get rid of, kind of like genital herpes," and then Serena, Blair, Chuck, and Nate all clinked their glasses together, along with Dan's and Vanessa's, to toast a job well done.

* * *

When Dan started to confront Vanessa about everything he had heard, the scheming foursome started walking away, knowing their job was done. Once they were a few steps away from the Brooklynites, Blair was the first to speak, "That went very well, if you don't mind me saying."

"Yeah, Serena, you definitely earned MVP honors for that one. Remind me never to get on your bad side," joked Nate. "Now, if you guys don't need me anymore I think I'm going to call it a night." He then left Chuck, Serena, and Blair behind to meet up with Kristen and Amy.

"God, that was such a rush! It feels so good to take that backstabbing bitch from Brooklyn down," Serena exclaimed.

"Me-ow," Chuck drawled, but he couldn't hold back his laughter. "It's so nice to see you revel in Vanessa's public humiliation, Sis. Now I think its time to commence a second round of retribution tonight. What do you say ladies?"

"Let the games begin," Blair replied maliciously and the three of them looked across the room at a group of seven people deep in conversation.

* * *

While everyone was playing their role in Vanessa's disgrace, Theo was left to begin working his magic on the second half of their plan; the takedown of Jenny Humphrey. He made his way over to Eleanor and Cyrus, because he knew they would be helpful in getting him the introduction he needed. It was Cyrus who saw him first and called out to him, "Theo, my boy, are you enjoying yourself tonight?"

"Yes, Mr. Rose, much more than I expected too," he replied truthfully. Scheming with Blair and Chuck made for an interesting evening.

"Well, I noticed you talking with Blair and Charles, earlier. I hope he wasn't too rude to you. He can be a bit possessive when it comes to Blair, but you shouldn't pay him any attention," Eleanor said.

"I don't really understand what you are implying Mrs. Rose, but Chuck was very nice. We talked for a while about Columbia and we might even get together later in the week to play some poker. Anyways, I was hoping that you or Mr. Rose could introduce me to some people."

"I'm sure that won't be a problem, I know just about everyone here," Theo could hear the pride in Eleanor's voice as she spoke. "Now who would you like to meet?"

"The van der Woodsens," and Theo tilted his head towards a group of people made up of Lily, Rufus, Eric, and Jenny. "My father went to medical school with Dr. van der Woodsen and he often tells stories about the fun times they had together. I believe my parents know his ex-wife Lily van der Woodsen, so I thought it would be nice to meet her officially."

"Of course. Come with me Theo, although you should know that it is Lily Humphrey now," and Eleanor and Cyrus walked Theo in the direction of Lily.

The introduction went well, and soon Theo and the Roses settled into a comfortable conversation with Lily, Rufus, Eric, and Jenny. They talked about college, as Eric was still trying to decide where he wanted to go for the next four years of his life, and after talking to Theo he decided to look into Duke. They talked about being in NYC for the holidays, about how life in Paris was treating Eleanor and Cyrus, and how designing was going for Jenny and her hopes for going to design school next year. Suddenly, in the middle of their conversation, three boxes, one large and two small, and an envelope arrived with Jenny's name on them. This attracted everyone in the group's attention and they all encouraged Jenny to open them up. Inside the envelope, there was a card with a variation of a Christmas carol written on it and Jenny just stared at it, slightly confused.

"Go ahead Jenny. Read it outloud for all of us to hear," pushed Lily.

"It's just the words to 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town' but some of them have been changed," Jenny said dismissingly as she read the card over again, trying to figure out who sent it and why. She didn't really want to share its message with people until she understood it herself.

"Well if you're not going to read it to all of us, then I will," and Eric grabbed the card from Jenny's hands and started reading it to the group.

"_You better watch out_

_You better not cry_

_Better not pout _

_I'm telling you why _

_Your Secret Santa has come to town _

_She's making a list _

_And checking it twice _

_Gonna find out if Jenny's naughty or nice _

_Your Secret Santa has come to town _

_She sees you when you're sleeping _

_She knows when you're awake _

_She knows if you've been bad or good _

_So be good for goodness sake! _

_Oh you better watch out _

_You better not cry _

_Better not pout _

_I'm telling you why _

_Your Secret Santa has come to town _

_Your Secret Santa is going to take you down."_

"Surely someone is just having a bit of fun with you Jenny dear," Cyrus giggled. "Now come on, I want to see what's in those boxes. Open them up," he said.

"Oh yes, I can't wait to see," persuaded Eleanor and it was now unavoidable – Jenny would have to open these gifts in front of everyone, even though she was quite nervous about what their contents might be.

Jenny opened the smallest of the three boxes first. The look on Jenny's face was priceless as she viewed the contents - it was full of coal.

"Jenny, just so you know that's coal – not eye makeup!" mocked Eric.

"Ahh Jenny, have you been a naughty girl this past year?" teased Theo.

However, before she could answer Theo's question, she was told by the rest of the group to open the next gift as they were already bored with the coal. It was about the size of a shoebox and wrapped in paper with tiny pictures of the Grinch on it. What they didn't realize was that Jenny was becoming increasingly nervous at the prospects of what could be in the final two boxes, if the card and the coal were any indication of the way things were heading. That is why when Jenny took the lid off the box, her face dropped at its contents.

"What is it Jenny?" Rufus asked and Jenny slowly pulled out her gift for everyone to see.

"Oh, what a charming mask. Such lovely lace," gushed Lily as she reached for the mask. It was the exact mask that Serena had worn to the Saints & Sinners party. The same mask that Jenny had worn that evening when she was pretending to be Serena. Jenny quickly scanned the room for Juliet, knowing that she was the only one besides herself and Vanessa who knew the significance of this mask. She didn't see her anywhere and her attention was brought back to the group by Eric when he said, "Look there is another card in the box."

Hesitantly, Jenny removed the card from the box and read it.

"_I know what you did. You can't hide behind your mask forever. xoxo Secret Santa."_

"Well that was a bit ambiguous, if not a little creepy. So, what did you do Jenny?" asked Eric as he eyed the young blonde carefully.

"I have no idea," Jenny replied softly, and an uneasy feeling began to overtake her. Suddenly she had a strong suspicion that she didn't want to open the last gift.

"Pay no attention to that note – I'm sure someone is just trying to rile you up. Now I want to see what that gorgeous mask looks like on you," insisted Eleanor, as she grabbed the mask and walked behind Jenny in an effort to put it on her.

"No," Jenny shouted abruptly and everyone's eyes were upon her again. "I mean, look at it, it doesn't really go with my outfit!"

"Don't be silly. We just want to see how it looks on your face," Lily chuckled. Before Jenny could protest further, Eleanor was tying the mask in place and everyone marveled at the lace mask on Jenny.

"You know," Eric interjected. "That mask looks very familiar, but I'm not sure where I've seen it before. Have you worn it or one like it previously?"

"No, not that I remember," lied Jenny, who was obviously uncomfortable standing in front of the group with the mask on.

When she went to take it off, Theo stopped her and said, "It looks nice. Leave it on, at least until you've finished opening the final gift." Discreetly, Theo glanced to his side and noticed that Blair, Chuck, and Serena were now watching the events unfold, waiting for the final blow to occur. He smiled in their direction, acknowledging them and silently letting them know that everything was going according to plan. It was amazing, Theo marveled, that he had hardly had to do anything to ensure the execution of their scheme – the rest of the group was doing that for him.

"Not enough, I say, not enough," Cyrus cheered as he gestured to the final present. "You have one more present to go."

With everyone watching, Jenny reluctantly opened the final box. It was much larger than the other two. As she removed the lid, she heard a few gasps before she even saw what was inside.

"Oh my god, it's beautiful," Lily admired as she touched the fabric inside the box.

"I believe that is a Carolina Herrera dress," Eleanor noted. At that comment Jenny looked at the gift and her heart sank in her chest. It was the same dress that Serena had worn the night of Chuck's masquerade, the same dress that Jenny also wore that night when she was masquerading as Serena. "I hope you realize what a nice Secret Santa you have, Jenny. This dress is fabulous. We should see what it would look like on you."

Jenny watched as Eleanor reached into the box and pulled the expensive light blue dress out by its tiny sleeves. It was then that she saw another note inside the box. She quickly reached down and snatched it, reading it before anyone else could grab it. It said.

"_I think its time that I drop the curtain, shine the spotlight, and let everyone see the real you, Little J. xoxo, Secret Santa."_

As if everything was happening in slow motion, Jenny saw the coming car crash that was her life. Rufus had taken the card and read the message outloud, while Eleanor was holding the dress to Jenny's front so that everyone could see how it would look on her while she was still wearing the mask. Only, Jenny wasn't paying attention to any of them. She looked up to see her brother walking away from a crying Vanessa and when her eyes caught his, he simply shook his head in disgust. Devastated, Jenny then glanced to the side of the room and saw three people watching her. Blair was standing there grinning like the cat that ate the canary, flanked on one side by Serena whose cold eyes were boring into Jenny and on the other side by Chuck Bass whose dark eyes were filled with so much hatred that the younger blonde felt herself shiver. She looked back at Blair and they locked gazes, and Jenny accepted at that moment that Blair knew everything she had done and wasn't going to let her get away with it.

Jenny was brought out of her daze by the sound of Eric's voice. "Now I know where I've seen that mask before. Serena wore that exact dress and mask to Chuck's Saints and Sinners party last month." He realized that Jenny was focused on something else and when his eyes followed hers, he saw his sister, brother, and sister-in-law standing there glaring back at Jenny. Then Blair raised her glass of champagne to Jenny, nodded in her direction, and drank the glass dry, while Chuck and Serena silently applauded her actions. When Jenny finally turned and acknowledged Eric, he had a somber look on his face and said, "Shit Jenny. What did you do now?"

With shaking hands, Jenny quickly reached behind her head and tried to untie the mask unsuccessfully. After Theo helped her remove the mask, she brought her face up, and with tears glistening in her eyes she said to the group, "Excuse me." Six pairs of eyes then followed her as she made her way across the room to where Blair, Chuck, and Serena stood.

"Hello Jenny. I _almost_ didn't recognize you modeling that dress with that mask on," taunted Blair. "For a second, I thought you were Serena."

"What do you want Blair?"

"I thought I had been blatantly clear in the past when I said that I never wanted to see you set foot on this island again, yet for some reason you keep showing up. Not only that, but you always seem to try to hurt myself or the people that I love and I can no longer allow that to continue. I meant what I said in my note Little J, I think its time for people to see the real you. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to tell Lily, Rufus, and Eric all about your involvement with Vanessa and Juliet."

"Please Blair, don't," begged Jenny. "They are my family. They're all I have left."

"You should have thought about that before you attacked mine," Blair seethed back. "You know what's funny Little J," and Blair laughed a sadistic laugh, "technically Serena and Chuck are your family too."

"Fine, I'll do whatever you want," pleaded Jenny and a tear escaped her eye. "Just please don't tell my dad."

"I want you to go to Hudson and never come back. I want you to stay out of my life, Serena's life, Chuck's life, and Nate's life or I guarantee to make yours a living hell," threatened Blair as the Jenny nodded in agreement with tears loomed in her eyes. Once Blair was satisfied and told Jenny she was free to go, she leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Oh I don't think that you have to worry about me telling your family about what you did. Now that Dan knows, I'm pretty sure he will tell them everything." With that Blair turned, looped her arms through Chuck's and Serena's, and walked away from Jenny who simply stood there frozen as the tears finally fell.

* * *

Another A/N: I had a really difficult time figuring out how to go forward with the takedowns of Vanessa and Jenny – I hope they didn't disappoint. The genital herpes reference goes back to 'School Lies' in S1. Anyways, we'll be back with more Chuck and Blair fluff in the future.


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: So, its been forever since I updated this story – I never intended to go over a year without updating but real life happened. About a week after I posted the last chapter I found out I was going to have a baby! Now I have the most beautiful 4 month old baby girl! Hopefully, you all understand why its been so difficult for me to keep up with this and you'll give me a break.

Anyways, I felt like we all needed a bit of C/B fluff and that's all this story is about. If people are still interested, I will try to keep up with the story (maybe with shorter chapters). If people have lost interest, that's fine too. This chapter isn't very exciting – it's a bit long and nothing really happens but it got me back into writing so I hope you like it. Oh, and its not proofread, but if I don't post this now I don't know when I will. Again, thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing my story in the past. I appreciate every single review I get and I will try to get back to each of you soon. Also, thank you to everyone who has stuck with me and this story even though I haven't updated in forever.

I don't own anything.

* * *

Chapter 7

"Hello, is anyone here?" Chuck yelled as he strolled into the penthouse at the Empire. The place was quiet, so as he walked towards the living room he pulled out his cell and dialed Nate's number. He was surprised to hear a ringing noise in the kitchen and realized that Nate must have left his phone in there when he went to bed. That would explain why Nate didn't answer both times when Chuck phoned earlier. As he looked around the living room, Chuck assumed that Nate must have had some fun following Lily's Christmas party last night. There were tumblers and shot glasses scattered around, a half empty bottle of tequila, a couple of coats thrown on the sofa, and a female's purse on the table. He debated leaving and coming back later, but they had agreed to meet here at noon for lunch and it was already 11am. Chuck decided to let Nate sleep a bit longer, but phoned housekeeping to come and start cleaning up the mess. He knew that Blair would freak out if she saw this disaster area and he wanted to pacify any of her potential anger, although he loved it when she was feisty! After calling housekeeping, he put in an order for their food.

While waiting, Chuck glanced around the place he used to live in and it dawned on him that this really wasn't his home anymore. The penthouse did hold special memories for him, but the ones he cherished most were the ones with Blair. They had 'christened' this penthouse when he first bought the Empire, and he remembers the love and pride in Blair's eyes when she gazed at him in bed that afternoon. From that moment on, they had pretty much lived together here until the bottom fell out and everything was lost. Sure, he eventually got the Empire back but the price was not worth it. It had cost him Blair. Now, she had given him another chance and he made a promise to her and himself never to take her for granted again. When he looked around the penthouse, he realized that he didn't miss it much at all. This wasn't his home – his home was with Blair, and he was hoping by the end of the weekend they would have someplace more permanent to call _their_ home.

Lying in bed still partially asleep, Nate felt someone nudging him and heard a girl whispering in his ear, "Nate, I think someone's here. I swear I heard the elevator."

"Ignore it and go back to sleep," he replied. Then he heard the distinct voice of his best friend and old roommate calling his name. "Arrhh," Nate moaned loudly and he rolled over to look at his alarm clock, which read 11:03am. "Shit – it's late. I've got to get up. I've got people coming over for a Christmas Eve lunch in an hour." He quickly jumped out of bed, threw on his track bottoms and a t-shirt, and made his way into the living room to talk to Chuck.

"Nathaniel, rough night?" asked Chuck as Nate entered the room.

"You could say that," Nate moaned as he rubbed his throbbing head and glanced around the room. "Hey man, sorry about the mess. Maybe we can get housekeeping to clean it up before the girls get here?"

"I already made the call. They should be here any minute, so why don't you go and make yourself beautiful. Unless you're going for the bedhead look," he chuckled and quickly handed him a glass of water and two Advil.

"Thanks man," replied Nate as he helped himself to the welcome pain relievers. "I'll just take a quick shower and throw on some clothes. I shouldn't take too long so I can help prep this place for lunch," and he opened the door to his room to get ready.

At that exact moment, two girls emerged from the room still fixing their clothes and their hair, not paying any attention to the other two in the room. Chuck couldn't help but laugh at his best friend's situation – the morning after was always awkward following a one-night stand with a single girl, but having to face two of them was even worse. Hearing the chuckles, the girls looked up and turned bright red as their eyes landed on Chuck. They put their heads down and swiftly grabbed their coats and other things before turning towards the elevator. Amy simply gave Nate a quick "Bye Nate," with a wave as she pushed the elevator call button while Kristen whispered in his ear, "I'll talk to you later - have a Merry Christmas," kissed him on the cheek, and then walked away.

Before a word could escape Chuck's mouth, Nate held up a hand to Chuck and warned "Save it Chuck. I know what you're going to say and I don't want to hear it right now. I've got to get ready because Serena and Blair are going to be here soon." With that he slammed his door and all Chuck could do was shake his head as he doubled over in laughter because of his best friend's situation.

* * *

An hour later, Chuck and Nate were relaxing on the sofa and talking about their plans for the upcoming holiday, when the elevator chimed introducing the presence of the one and only Blair Waldorf-Bass. Blair waltzed into the penthouse draped in Christmas cheer, followed closely by an Empire employee pushing a luggage trolley filled with presents. When the bellboy stopped moving upon entering the room, Blair let out a disgruntled sigh and simply pointed to the Christmas tree indicating that he should place the gifts over there. Chuck and Nate both had to stifle a laugh as they saw the look of fear take over the bellboy's face in response to Blair's actions before he followed through on her demands. After the presents were placed under the tree, Chuck got up to see the bellboy out, tipping him generously and wishing him a happy holiday. Blair made her way over to a chair next to where Nate and Chuck were sitting and moaned loudly as she sat down. "You need better staff Bass. He sounded like a blubbering idiot in the elevator trying to make small talk with me and he couldn't even figure out the presents were meant to go under the tree."

"Cut the guy some slack Blair," moaned Nate, his hangover could not handle bitchy Blair. "It's the day before Christmas. Besides, you can be quite an intimidating bitch when you are in one of your moods."

"Excuse me?" recoiled Blair. "What exactly are you inferring Archibald?"

"Settle down kids," Chuck quickly interjected before the conversation got out of control. "You're starting to sound like bickering siblings. Now, speaking of siblings, does anyone have any idea how late Serena is going to be?"

"I haven't spoken to her since last night," yawned Nate.

"Really, well I can't imagine why. You didn't look _too_ busy when I got here this morning." Chuck's emphasis on the word _too_ received a glare from Nate which only made Chuck laugh even more.

Blair listened to the guys' exchange and recognized that there was obviously some sort of inside joke between Chuck and Nate that she wasn't privy to and she hated being left out of the loop. "Excuse me, but what am I missing?" Nate and Chuck both replied at the same time with "Nothing!" and "Nevermind."

"Whatever," huffed Blair. "I'll find out sooner or later. Now back to Serena. I talked to her this morning and she said she would be here at noon, which was," Blair quickly glanced at her phone, "10 minutes ago. It didn't sound like she was having much fun at Lily's place this morning so," Blair suddenly stopped speaking and everyone turned as the elevator doors opened and Serena walked into the penthouse.

"I have never been so happy to you guys!" exclaimed an overly dramatic Serena, arms flailing everywhere. "You could cut the tension at my mom's place with a knife – it's insane. Dan showed up for waffles and just keeps glaring at Jenny, whereas Eric refuses to talk to her. He went so far as to ask Rufus to ask Jenny for the syrup at breakfast. Jenny keeps moping around the place, wining 'Oh, poor pathetic me, my life is so horrible'. She is threatening to go back to Hudson for Christmas so she won't ruin everyone's day. Rufus just looks so deflated and my mom is oblivious. Ugh, I don't know if I can go back there!"

"I didn't mean to ruin Lily and Rufus's Christmas, but after hearing what Jenny and Vanessa did I couldn't simply sit around and let them get away with it."

"I'm not blaming you, B. Jenny had it coming. Personally, I'll enjoy the day much more if she isn't there, but I will feel sorry for Rufus. I still can't believe she is my step-sister, my evil step-sister," said Serena as she plopped down in the chair across from Blair and put her feet up. "So, when are we eating and what are we eating? And, what's a girl got to do to get a drink around here?"

An hour or so later, after feasting on first endive salad and then an entrée of seared scallops, everyone was lounging in the main room again relaxing and catching up over drinks. Carefully, Serena decided to veer the conversation over to the topic of Blair's date last night, hoping to get a rise out of either Chuck or Blair which would give her some evidence to support her theory about their secret relationship. "So, B, I've been dying to know. Who was that delicious dish that you brought to my mother's party last night?"

"I'm sorry," frowned Blair, who was more than a little thrown off by Serena's unexpected question. "What did you say?"

"I asked you who your date was last night. He's hot!" At this comment Nate's ears perked up and he started staring Serena down. He didn't think this was the right time to bring this up in front of Chuck and he wanted to stop Serena from going on with this line of questioning. However, before he knew it Blair starting speaking.

"Oh, that was Theo, Theodore Langdon. I guess you didn't have time to read Gossip Girl's ongoing commentary about us last night," Blair's voice displayed her annoyance as she rolled her eyes. Then, with a wave of her wrist, she continued on like it was no big deal. "Actually, Theo was great. Cyrus has known him for a while because he worked at his law firm one summer and they have stayed in contact ever since. They just wanted to catch up over dinner but he ended coming to the party too."

Serena had been watching Chuck out of the corner of her eye and hadn't detected any type of reaction out of him, so she decided to press the issue further. "Well, are you going to see him again? You two seemed to get along really well – I saw you laughing alot. And need I repeat, he's hot!"

At this, Nate's eyes starting bugging out of his head and he was thinking of how to get Serena to shut up without drawing to much focus on himself. Suddenly, he heard Blair's voice. "Oh, Serena," Blair said as if she was talking to a child. Then shaking her head from side to side she continued, "Theo is a great guy but he is not my type and I most certainly am not his." This last part was followed by a giggle, not only from Blair but also from Chuck.

"What? I don't get it." Serena was clearly confused by the reaction from both Blair and Chuck. "And why are you laughing Chuck?"

"Like I said, I'm not his type," Blair answered before Chuck could even open his mouth. And with a chuckle she continued, "But Chuck most certainly is."

After hearing this, Nate spit up the water he had just drank while Serena slowly picked her jaw up from the floor and then they both turned to face Chuck. All Chuck could do was grin before he shrugged his shoulders. "What?" he then paused for dramatic effect and looked them in the eyes with the most serious face he could manage, "I'm Chuck Bass." This response caused all four of them to buckle over in laughter as Blair pummeled Chuck with a handful of Red Hots.

"Come on you guys," Nate begged while trying to catch his breath. "Not another food fight." This just reduced them into further fits of laughter until Blair and Chuck practically had tears in their eyes, both of them remembering their crazy behavior from weeks before.

Once everyone calmed down, Blair decided it was time to get down to business. "So, how about we get to the matter at hand and open gifts?"

Serena, who by now was borderline tipsy, clapped her hands together and shouted "OOOH Yes! Fun, fun, fun!"

Everyone gathered their gifts from around the tree, while Nate refreshed their drinks and brought over some chocolate mousse for dessert. Serena and Chuck only had a couple of boxes, whereas Blair's arms were overflowing with gifts. When Nate saw her, he immediately went to help her with the packages. "God Blair, I thought we said that we weren't going to go over the top this year! You said and I quote, 'a simple, modest Christmas'. This does not look simple or modest."

"Nate, how well do you know me? This," Blair gestured to the gifts she had just put down, "is by no means over the top. Anyways, once you open your gifts you'll see that they are, in fact, quite simple. Now, who wants to start?"

"Since I don't have anything for people to open, I'll start with a clue about my gift. It is something for all of us to do together."

"Nate, are you expecting us to guess? Just tell us already," whined Serena.

"I'll tell you after all the other gifts are opened. You know, save the best for last."

"Fine - I'll go first then. Blair, this is for you," Serena handed her a box wrapped in shiny gold paper with a burgundy bow tied around it. "And these are for the two of you," Serena was holding two envelopes in her left hand and then she gave one to Chuck and one to Nate. "I couldn't really think of what to get either of you so I got you the same thing. Hopefully you'll enjoy it."

Blair gasped when opened the box. "A new Chanel handbag! I love it S," and she hugged her best friend in appreciation.

Meanwhile, Chuck and Nate both opened their envelopes at the same time. Inside each was a ticket. "Seriously, Serena, you got us Superbowl tickets! Thanks," exclaimed Nate as he checked out the ticket stub.

"Yeah, Sis, thank you," and Chuck got up and gave Serena a hug. He quickly glanced over her shoulder and saw Blair staring at him with a happy smile on her face. He was itching to have a minute or two alone with Blair, but he knew that they needed to keep up the charade in front of their two best friends.

"Well, like I said I didn't know what to get either of you so I thought you two might have fun hanging out together at the game. You know, some guy time."

"Alright, I guess I'll go next." Chuck got up and grabbed his gifts. He handed Serena a small dark green rectangular box and Nate a heavy silver square shaped box about the size of a big box of cereal and another long silver rectangular box. When he approached Blair he slowly placed her gift which was wrapped in red and white striped paper in her lap, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and whispered in her ear, "Please don't be too disappointed. This isn't your only present Mrs. Bass." Blair blushed at the soft yet sweet gesture and quickly hid her face behind her curls. Both Nate and Serena had turned a blind eye at the intimate moment between their best friends, not wanting to intrude.

Once Chuck returned to his seat, the three friends began opening their gifts. Serena pulled the two ticket stubs from the box to read them more closely. "You got me two tickets to the opening of the Spiderman musical? Really?" The tone in Serena's voice reflected the surprise she felt.

"Eric said that you keep talking about it and want to see it. Maybe he was hoping that I would get you the tickets and that you would take him with you?" shrugged Chuck, obviously nervous that Serena hate her present.

"He's absolutely right! I can't wait to see this!" She jumped up and hugged Chuck with so much force that she knocked the two of them back in the chair. He quickly helped Serena back to her feet, satisfied that Serena was genuinely surprised and happy with the gift.

Chuck then turned his eyes to Nate, to see what he thought of his gift. Nate had the pool cue sitting in his lap and he had one of the billiard balls in his hand as he inspected it. "They've got my initials on them 'NA'. This is so cool! Thanks man."

"I figured it looked a little strange for you to play pool with 'CB' labeled balls now that I've moved out. Besides, I want the 'CB' ones back!"

Finally, Chuck looked over at Blair. She was staring at the contents of the box with a perplexed look on her face. He was hoping that she wasn't too let down by the gift. He knew it wasn't very personal, but he wanted to save those presents for a time when they were alone. After what seemed like forever, the silence was broken by Serena, "Blair, come on, let us see what Chuck got you."

Blair slowly lifted her present out of the box. The Louis Vuitton logo was instantly recognizable to everyone in the room, however she was still a little confused as to what it was. It resembled a laptop case, but it was too small to hold her laptop computer. While her mind was still trying to figure out what she was supposed to do with it, Chuck spoke up, "Look inside." As Blair opened the case, Nate and Serena strained their necks to see what was inside the case. "I thought it would help you at your internship."

"Chuck, that's the iPad 2!" marveled Nate. "It hasn't even been released yet. How did you get that?"

"I've got a few connections," and once he answered Nate's question Chuck turned to Blair, nervous because she had yet to say anything.

"Thanks Bass. It's not what I was expecting, _at all_, but its great." Blair then stood up and gave Chuck a hug and a quick kiss. "I'm sure it will be very useful at Sotheby's."

Chuck's smile grew as it registered to him what she said. "So, its Sotheby's then. Are you sure about that?"

Blair grinned and nodded, but before she could say anything, Serena interrupted, "Wait, you interning at Sotheby's?"

"Yes. It was between there and Christie's. I figured I can't really lose if I pick one or the other, so I decided to intern at Sotheby's, at least for this semester." Blair shrugged her shoulders while talking. Then she excitedly continued, "Anyways, back to the presents! Now its my turn to play Santa!" At that Blair jumped to her feet and starting presenting everyone with their gifts indicating which ones she wanted them to open first. Both Nate and Serena opened their presents and held up the DVDs Blair had given them. "See Nate, I told you it was nothing extravagant."

"B, you got me 'Easy A' and 'Twelve'. Why?" pondered Serena.

"Well, 'Easy A' is meant to be funny so I thought you might enjoy it – hopefully we can watch it together. And 'Twelve' has a really hot guy in it, so I thought you might enjoy that too," Blair snickered.

"Okay, so then explain why you got me 'The Town' and 'Piranha 3D'?"

"'The Town' has gotten great reviews so I'm sure you'll like it. I mean it's about bank robberies. And 'Piranha 3D' looked like a campy horror film right up your alley."

"Sounds about right for Nate," Chuck chimed in. "But you'll have to do a better job explaining this." Chuck then held up the board game Blair had gotten him for Christmas. "Really Blair? Bassopoly?" Everyone's eyes were glued to the box.

"It's just like Monopoly, but all the properties are spots around Manhattan, including the Palace, the Plaza, and the Empire. Oh, and the lowest denominator bill is $1000. The best parts are the figurines and the Chance cards though, they're great!" Blair was quite animated as she spoke, pleased with herself for thinking of such a gift for Chuck. Meanwhile, Chuck couldn't wipe the smile off his face as he listened to Blair describe the details of the present which he was sure she would enjoy as much as him. She was, after all, a Bass now too.

Blair encouraged everyone to continue opening their other presents. Serena screeched when she saw the 'Blake' Louboutin sandals Blair had gotten her. Nate rolled his eyes at the striped Prada shirt that she gave him because she was sick of seeing him in plaid. Chuck was surprised when he saw that Blair had gotten him a Louis Vuitton messenger bag.

"Its for when you're at Columbia. You wouldn't want to stick out too much by carrying around a briefcase," she chuckled knowing that Chuck doesn't exactly blend into the crowd.

"What do you mean when he's at Columbia?" asked Nate, genuinely curious.

"I'm going to be a full-time student at Columbia like you. Actually, I'm going to be taking a few classes on campus and the rest of my credits are going to be from my work experiences between the Empire and Bass Industries. But I will be an official undergraduate in a few weeks."

"Awesome! Well my gift is going to be perfect then, something for all of us to do before we go back to school. I've convinced Grandfather to let me use the family plane for a trip, so you guys have to decide if you want sand or snow."

Immediately Serena and Blair shouted, "Sand!" while Chuck said "Snow".

"Sorry Chuck, it looks the sand wins," Nate said as he patted his friend on the back. "St. Barts it is!"

"So, who is going on this trip? Just us?" asked Serena.

"Why? Do you want to invite Dan?" Nate sneered. He was tired and still a bit hungover so he was not in the mood for Serena and Dan take 100.

"No! I was curious if you were bringing Kristen," hissed Serena.

"Who the hell is Kristen?" Blair piped in, looking at Serena and then Nate.

"You know, the girl Nate brought to _my_ mother's Christmas party." The contempt in Serena's voice did not go unnoticed by anyone.

"Wait a second. I thought you were with someone named Amy last night?" Blair questioned. Nate's eyes grew wide and Chuck could not hold back his laughter at his best friends situation.

Nate glared at Chuck and then diverted the questions by simply saying, "This trip is just for the four of us. We'll stay on the Vanderbilt property at St. Barts for a week before classes start, if that works well for all of you."

After everyone settled down, the four friends sat around for a few more hours having drinks, discussing the trip to St. Barts, and playing Bassopoly.

* * *

Blair spent Christmas with her mother and three fathers while Chuck spent the day alone at the Empire. He didn't want to go to Lily's because Jenny would be there and he didn't want to intrude on Nate's family holiday, even though Nate assured him that it would be fine. Of course, he didn't tell Blair that he would be alone on Christmas because she would insist he spend the day with her family. He was certain that he wouldn't be able to hide his feelings for her, so he figured it would be best this way. So when she found out she was frustrated that he kept it from her and sad that he didn't spend the day with anyone. Of course they talked multiple times throughout the day, but it wasn't the same as being with each other. They had agreed to meet up Sunday morning, the day after Christmas, to exchange gifts and have some time to themselves. So, a little bit before 10am, Blair gathered up the presents she had for Chuck and had her car bring her to the address Chuck had given her.

As she approached the building located between Madison and 5th, she saw Chuck's limo parked in the front. She had her driver pull up beside it and she quickly jumped into his limo with her bag full of gifts before she could be seen by anyone carrying a camera phone. As soon as she sat down, she was enveloped by Chuck's arms and he then proceeded to kiss her until they were both out of breath.

"Good morning Mrs. Bass," Chuck whispered in Blair's ear.

"Good morning to you to Mr. Bass," she responded playfully, while grabbing his hand and threading her fingers through his. "Now, what exactly, are we doing here?"

"All in good time." This response garnered a pout from Blair. "If you must know it has something to do with your present."

"Now you're talking – presents! Do you want to exchange gifts right now?"

The excited, hopeful look on Blair's face put a smile on Chuck's and all he could say was "Sure."

"Good." Blair started digging into the bag of presents she brought with her. "I have to warn you that these are probably not what you are expecting. One of them you will not be allowed to keep, one of them you have to share, but the last one is for just for you." When she finished speaking she handed Chuck 3 beautifully wrapped boxes, each a different size.

"That's fine because one of my gifts you will have to share as well," and he presented her with 3 boxes, 2 small ones and one a bit larger. "So, which one should I open first Mrs. Bass?"

Blair pointed to the one of the presents while Chuck did the same, then they each opened their gifts. In Blair's hands was a pair of simple diamond stud earrings. Chuck interrupted her thoughts, "Because you don't wear your ring I thought a pair of diamond earrings would be a nice touch of bling."

"They're beautiful. Thank you Chuck," and she kissed him gently on the lips. "So, what do you think? Bring back any memories?"

Chuck had in his hands a scarf, which caused him to smirk. "Of course, but my playboy days are behind me."

"Look underneath," and Blair gestured to the bottom layer of the scarf. Chuck looked and was surprised to see Blair's heart pin pinned to the scarf. Chuck was so overcome with emotions that he couldn't say anything so he just kissed Blair.

Gaining her breath, Blair joked, "If I had known I would get this type of response, I would have given you that pin ages ago. Now open this one," and she pointed to large box. "This is the one you'll have to share."

Chuck simultaneously indicated which box Blair should open next. She did and inside was a dark purple silk robe with the initials B.B. embroidered on it. Blair took it out and touched the smooth fabric to her face before again kissing Chuck to show her appreciation.

Chuck, however, was a little confused with his gift. It was a white apron with the phrase 'I'm Chuck Bass' on its front in purple letters. "You got me an apron? Why would we have to share an apron?"

"For the cooking classes we are going to take together," Blair said bashfully. "I know its crazy, but after the disaster in Vermont I thought it might be a good idea for one of us to know something about cooking. Besides, its something we can do together. I've arranged for renowned chefs from around the city come over and teach us in our own kitchen."

"Fine," Chuck groaned. Honestly, he loved anything that guaranteed him time with Blair but he couldn't let her know that. "But only because it works perfectly with my last gift, something that you will have to share with me," and Chuck pointed to the small unopened box next to Blair.

Blair removed the paper and instantly recognized the blue Tiffany's box. She didn't understand what it could be because he had already given her jewelry, so she opened it slowly not knowing what to expect. Inside was a small platinum key ring with the name 'Bass' engraved on it. Perplexed, she gradually raised her eyes to meet Chuck's, her raised brow indicated for him to explain.

"That's why I asked you to meet me here. As you know I've been looking for a new place, but what I want is a place for us. We are at just one of the properties I've arranged for us to look at today and hopefully by the end of the day _we_," Chuck heavily emphasized 'WE' as he said it, "will have a new home."

"Really Chuck? That's a really big deal."

"Blair, becoming your husband was a big deal. This is just something for us to share as we build our life together."

"I guess I just thought you would move in with me after our relationship went public. You know I love my place, its my home."

"No offense Blair, it's a great place but I don't want us to live there. I want us to have a place that is ours, not yours. What do you say, are you willing to check out these properties with me today? If you hate them all, we'll just keep looking until we find the perfect place for US." By this time, Chuck had moved so he was facing Blair, holding both of her hands in his own.

"Okay," nodded Blair as she tightened the grip on Chuck's hands. She understood where Chuck was coming from although she really loved her mother's penthouse and assumed it would be theirs someday. If they didn't find a place today that they both liked, maybe she could use the time to convince him that he should move into her penthouse when the time was right.

Changing the subject and the mood, Blair nudged the last gift that Chuck still had to open. "Remember, this is something that you don't actually get to keep, but I will let you see it whenever you want," teased Blair.

Her vagueness about this present had Chuck intrigued. He opened the box and saw her passport holder wrapped in tissue paper. He picked it up and looked inside, shocked by what he saw. "Seriously?" Chuck asked Blair, floored that she would present him with such a gift.

"Seriously," she replied and kissed him chastely on the lips. "I am legally Blair Cornelia Waldorf-Bass. See, my passport says so."

Chuck grabbed Blair's face in his hands and kissed her fiercely. He couldn't believe that she had done this. Even if they weren't living together and no one knew about their nuptials, this tiny booklet made their marriage all the more real. "You are amazing, Blair Waldorf-Bass, and I love you." He kissed her again before she could respond, not that she minded.

* * *

After more than a few minutes of making out in the back of the limo, Chuck and Blair decided they should actually look at the property they were here to visit. They started looking around, trying to picture themselves living here, talking about what would here and what would go there. Blair was surprised by how much she liked the place. The condo had 3 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, with a very nice kitchen. The layout reminded her of her mother's penthouse, with a central spiral staircase that opened to the 2nd and 3rd floors on opposite sides of the atrium, the 3rd floor consisted only of master bedroom and bath. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small either – it was a definite possibility.

The second apartment they viewed was also nice. It was slightly bigger than the first place, but neither Blair nor Chuck felt like this was their future home so they didn't spend long there. Their third destination was a penthouse apartment on Park Avenue. It was much bigger than the other places they had looked at that morning. It covered 3 floors, with 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a huge kitchen, media room, library, and a rooftop. Blair fell in love with the apartment as she strolled around and she had a feeling that Chuck felt the same way she did. All thoughts of living at her mother's penthouse vanished from her mind. Making their way hand-in-hand through the sunroom to the open rooftop, Blair took a deep breath, turned to Chuck, and said, "We're home."

2nd A/N: So I wrote a lot of this chapter over a year ago, so please remember this is Christmas 2010, not 2011. I wanted to have fun with the gifts, so I hope you did too.

So, are you still interested? Wouldn't it have been nice if C/B eloped in season 5 instead of what we got instead?


	9. Chapter 8

Hello everyone! So this is my longest chapter to date – for some reason the show has actually inspired me to write. Honestly, it's a ball of C/B fluff – a fluff explosion with a bit of NJBC thrown in there. But that's what I was in the mood for, and I felt like we all needed a bit more C/B than we've been seeing on our screens.

I don't own anything. And I've never been to St. Bart's, but I have been to a few of the neighboring islands (St. Bart's is still a bit out of my price range) so I am making assumptions about St. Bart's based on those experiences of mine.

Chapter 8

Monday

"We have reached our cruising altitude of 30,000 feet. It is now safe to leave your seats and roam about the cabin. We should be landing in St. Bart's in about four and a half hours," announced the pilot over the intercom.

Blair perked up at the sound of the pilot's voice. She was a nervous flyer so she didn't relax much on planes; the only times she did were those when she was asleep, completely distracted, or enveloped in Chuck's arms. Knowing that she would be on her own this flight, she had brought her latest attempt at knitting something in hopes that it would keep her occupied and calm her nerves. It was working to some extent, but she was still a bit anxious so she glanced around the cabin to see what everyone was doing. Nate was entranced with his computer screen playing a video game, Serena was singing along to her iPod while flipping through the latest issue of Vogue, and Chuck was fast asleep. He had fallen asleep before they even took off and she had a feeling that he would probably sleep for most of the flight.

To say Chuck was exhausted would be putting it mildly - he had been running himself into the ground for the past week. Before they even left the Park Avenue penthouse, Chuck contacted the real estate agent, his lawyers, and his personal accountant and put in a bid for the place. After a day of negotiations, the deal was finalized and Chuck and Blair had their first real estate purchase as husband and wife. They were both so excited about their new home, and Blair couldn't help but pester Chuck with her ideas for the décor and potential renovations. Chuck had also chosen this week to get re-acquainted with the ins and outs of his father's legacy, Bass Industries, because many of the employees were on vacation and the offices were quieter than normal. Meanwhile, business at the Empire was not quiet at all, as New York City was full of tourists for the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, as well as for the first few days following the start of 2011. For those reasons, Chuck found himself running between the Empire and Bass Industries at least once a day that week, sometimes twice. On top of it all, Chuck had decided to host a New Year's Eve party the Empire and nothing but perfection was acceptable for Chuck Bass. For all these reasons, Chuck was very much looking forward to this trip to St. Bart's and doing very little except relaxing, something he proclaimed he was starting as soon as everyone boarded the plane.

After staring an inappropriate amount of time at Chuck's sleeping form, Blair's eyes quickly darted around the cabin to make sure that no one had seen her. Once she was assured that no one had observed her lusting after Chuck, she went back to her knitting. Looking down, she noted that she had made very little progress in what had seemed like hours but was really only a couple of minutes. Huffing to herself, Blair wondered what the hell she was thinking – knitting was such a plebian task, not something that Blair Waldorf-Bass should be doing. With that, she put her attempt at a scarf away and brought out her iPad. It was a long flight and she had plenty of time to watch an Audrey marathon. She downloaded 'Roman Holiday', 'Breakfast at Tiffany's', and 'Sabrina' onto her iPad, and after one last peek at Chuck's sleeping form to get her fix, Blair slipped in her earbuds and lost herself in the misadventures of Princess Ann and Joe Bradley.

XOXO

A few hours later, while engrossed in the drama surrounding Sabrina, Linus, and David, Blair was distracted when the flight attendant handed her the necessary passport control form. Setting aside her iPad, she retrieved a pen and her passport from her purse to start filling out the form, as she had a million times in the past. Feeling someone's eyes on her, Blair looked up to see Chuck was awake and his eyes were boring into her. However, they were not filled with the lustful look they so often held, but instead appeared deeply serious. Blair glanced around the cabin again, to see if there was something she was missing, something to explain the look on Chuck's face, but she saw nothing. She couldn't figure out what had gotten Chuck so disheveled. Blair decided to finish filling out the stupid form and then she could spend her time trying to understand what was bothering Chuck. The form was easy, just the standard personal information.

Date: 03/01/2011

Last name: Waldorf

First name: Blair

Middle Initial: C

Passport #:

When she got to the line that required her passport number, Blair finally had to look at her passport because she didn't have the number memorized. That's when she saw it and she instantly knew what was on Chuck's mind. Her last name was no longer Waldorf, it was Waldorf-Bass. Her neck snapped as she quickly turned to look at Chuck. He was still looking at her with the same serious expression on his face. A silent conversation passed between the two of them, both knowing that it was entirely possible that their secret was about to be revealed to their two best friends. They weren't ready for everyone to know their precious secret, and this, certainly, was not how they wanted it to come out.

About ten minutes later, the flight attendant announced that they would be landing momentarily and that their car service would be waiting to pick them up outside of the immigration area. A feeling of dread overcame both Blair and Chuck, and their eyes locked on one another, both attempting to reassure the other with just a glance that everything would be okay, even though they knew that wasn't true. They were brought back to the present by Serena, who was so excited to finally be here and kept rambling on about shopping, relaxing on the beach, and eating delicious food. Talking with Serena provided Blair with a fleeting distraction, but that lasted only a few minutes as the plane landed and everyone gathered their belongings in order to deplane.

Not wanting their secret to be revealed, Chuck decided that he needed to do something and he needed to do it quickly. For some reason, he had come to cherish this secret that was shared between Blair and himself, it was theirs alone and he liked not having everyone's input on _their_ life. So, he concluded that his best bet was to delay Blair, so that Nate and Serena would pass through immigration first and Blair would go through last, hence no one would see or hear her addressed as Mrs. Blair Waldorf-Bass.

Quickly, Chuck decided on a course of action, one that needed to be executed at precisely the right time otherwise it wouldn't work. Yes, he knew that it was likely that Blair was going to kill him when this was all said and done, but he couldn't think of any other way around this. He just hoped that she would understand that in the long run, this was for the best.

While everyone was distracted putting away their carry-on items, Chuck cautiously grabbed a glass full of water from the bar near his seat and he waited for his opportunity. Then he saw it. Blair had just finished primping herself with her compact, snapped it shut, and was bending over to return it to her purse. Chuck swiftly glanced around the cabin to make sure no one was looking, and when he saw the coast was clear, he '_accidently'_ knocked the entire glass of water over Blair's head and down the front of her top.

"EEEEEEE!" screeched Blair as she quickly righted herself, pushed her wet hair from her face, and stared at her soaken-wet dress. This drew the attention of Serena and Nate, so Chuck had to immediately suppress the grin that he couldn't seem to help from taking over his face. But it was too late, Blair caught it. "OH. MY. GOD. This isn't funny, you Basshole!"

"I'm so sorry Blair," Chuck said semi-sincerely while stifling a laugh. "I don't know what happened. I must have tripped or something."

"You don't know what happened? Huh? I'll tell you what happened _Charles_," sneered Blair as she rose from her seat. With a fiercely determined look in her eyes, Blair poked Chuck in the chest with her finger and stomped her feet. "You dumped water all over me and ruined my dress."

All Chuck could do was stare at her; he was getting aroused by the second. He loved it when Blair was feisty! Not only that, but the top of her dress was clinging to her wonderfully shaped curves and it was now see-through, so he could make out the lace of her lingerie. Serena's voice broke his train of thought, which was probably a good thing seeing as this was not the correct time to let his mind begin entertaining certain thoughts.

"Oh shit Blair. Let me get you a towel from the bathroom so you can dry yourself off," Serena said calmly and she moved towards the bathroom.

"No need sis," Chuck quickly jumped in. He couldn't have Serena disrupting his plan now. "I'll take care of it since I caused the problem." After which he dashed into the bathroom before Serena had the chance.

"Damn right this is your fault," cursed Blair, still huffing at her disheveled state. Then she yelled, "You owe me a new dress."

While Chuck was walking back with two towels for Blair, he called out to the others, "Why don't you two go on and Blair and I will meet you at the car. There is no need for you to wait for us. I'll help Blair with her bags and you can get a glimpse of the beautiful Caribbean. We shouldn't be more than ten minutes behind you." He handed one towel to Blair so that she could blot her face and dry her hair while he used the other to '_dry_' her top with his roaming hands.

"Okay," and "Fine," were the responses from their blonde best friends, neither one of them wanting to get in the middle of Blair and Chuck's latest squabble.

A minute later when it was just the two of them left on the plane, Chuck pulled Blair flush to his chest and kissed her senseless. Once they parted he said, "I've been wanting to do that all day long. I didn't think I was going to be able to restrain myself much longer when you look like that," and his eyes traveled up and down her figure.

"Stop it you ass," Blair slapped Chuck's arm. "What the hell was that about? Did you seriously dump water on me just to have a few minutes alone with me so you could cop a feel? You couldn't wait just a little bit longer? And did you have to ruin my dress?" The last part came out as a whine.

"Blair, you can't expect me to not touch you when you look like this. You know I like you when you're all _wet_," and he licked his lips as he gestured from her breasts down the rest of her body. "But no, I didn't do this to get a few minutes alone with you, however that is a nice bonus. I did it so that you, _Mrs. Bass_, can go through passport control without having to worry about Nate and Serena finding out our secret." With that, he planted a chaste kiss on Blair's lips, picked up her bags, and motioned for her to follow him.

"Give me a second Bass. I need to at least fix my hair and make-up since you destroyed them. And seriously, you couldn't think of a better plan than drenching me with water and destroying my dress?" pouted Blair.

"I was working on very short notice here. Hey, at least I thought of something," Chuck pointed out. "And I am sorry about your dress. I'll buy you a new one, I promise." He then kissed her again.

"Damn right you're going to buy me a new dress," Blair firmly responded. "And Bass," this time her tone had softened. "Thank you."

"For you, anytime," and his lips turned up into a rare smile. "I love you Mrs. Bass."

"I love you too. Now let me get ready."

After a couple minutes of playing with her hair before deciding to pull it back and then touching up her make-up, Mrs. Bass was ready to join Mr. Bass in leaving the plane together and meeting up with their friends.

XOXO

It was mid-afternoon when the gang arrived at the Vanderbilt property. The main house was situated on the beach and it was large enough for everyone to have their own room, with the girls sharing one bathroom and the guys sharing a different one. After unpacking their things and changing into clothes more appropriate for the Caribbean, Nate and Chuck decided to run into the village to stock up on liquid refreshments and pick up some take-out for dinner, while Blair showered and changed and Serena sat on the deck taking in the ocean view. They all decided that after the long flight, they wanted to have an easy, relaxing night in, just the four of them. So they ate outside on the deck and unwound in the ocean breeze, drinking mojitos prepared by the resident bartenders Nate and Chuck. It wasn't too long before all four of them felt the effects of the alcohol in their systems, giggling over stories from their childhood, as well as the not so recent past. In all, the night was almost perfect, except for the fact that Blair and Chuck needed to maintain their distance from each other which was becoming increasingly difficult to do as they became more and more tipsy. It appeared that luck was on their side, because it wasn't long before Serena passed out in her lounge chair and Nate decided to be a gentleman and carry her to her bed. That left Chuck and Blair alone.

"This reminds me of our wedding and the day after on that boat," Blair said softly staring out at the ocean as she felt Chuck wrap his arms around her waist from behind.

"Like I could ever forget that day. It was probably the best day of my life Mrs. Bass," and he peppered her neck and jaw with tiny kisses. "Urgh, this week is going to be torture. Being this close to you, but not being able to really be with you, if you know what I mean? Tell me again why we decided to go on this trip with our best friends?"

"Because Nate was nice enough to arrange this for all of us," and she turned around, looping her arms around Chuck's neck. "And don't think that this isn't tough on me as well. I miss being with my husband," pouted Blair. Then she kissed him because she couldn't stop herself any longer.

"Well, Mrs. Bass, we are going to have to figure something out, because I am not going to make it a whole week." He continued to shower Blair's neck with open-mouthed kisses.

"I know and we will. But for now, I should go to bed before Nate comes back and catches us."

"Not so fast," Chuck said and he grabbed her hand. "I need a good night kiss first." Blair once again threw her arms around Chuck while he pulled her closer. They continued kissing until they heard Nate yell Chuck's name. Quickly, they broke apart before Nate came out onto the deck.

"I think I'm going to turn in for the night."

"Okay, good night Blair," replied Nate.

"Yeah, sleep tight B. See you in the morning," countered Chuck.

Tuesday

The next morning, all four members of the non-judging breakfast club were a bit slow to rise, maybe because they had nowhere to be or maybe because of the lingering effects of last night's alcohol consumption. Needless to say, Chuck was the first to wake (probably because of his high tolerance), so he drank his espresso while he lounged on the deck taking in the view. It was not too long before both Blair and Nate joined him, and the three of them ate in pleasant silence, the only noise being the sounds of the waves breaking against the sand. Almost an hour later, Serena made her grand entrance. She had showered and dressed, but she still showed signs of the previous night's activities. Never one to be quiet, Serena's chatter disrupted the peaceful tranquility the other three were enjoying. She decided that she and Blair were going shopping today and that night all of them were going out to dinner and then to a club. No one else had a choice in the matter, not that anyone objected to Serena's plan either.

Nate and Chuck opted to stay behind at the estate and simply relax at the beach. Chuck really needed a couple of days to decompress and Nate just wanted to hang out with his best friend. Ever since Chuck had moved out of the penthouse, the two of them didn't spend much time together, which is one reason Nate was so excited about this trip. It wasn't long before Nate busted out a joint which the two old friends passed between themselves, letting the desired effects take hold, just like old times. The two best friends wasted the day away doing absolutely nothing except catching up and taking it easy.

Meanwhile, the girls were out and about, hitting the shops. Serena had decided that Blair needed the perfect dress for their night out. "Come on Blair, we're on vacation. Let loose for one night," begged Serena. "Here, try these dresses on," and Serena handed Blair three different dresses, all of which would reveal more skin that Blair felt comfortable with.

"S, I don't think these are quite my style," said Blair as she raised a brow in Serena's direction.

"Nonsense B. You'll look great in any of them and I'm sure that most of the guys in St. Bart's will agree with me."

"Serena," Blair replied. "I am not looking to attract the attention of any guys while we are here."

"Live a little Blair," bantered Serena as she rolled her eyes. "Besides, you're on vacation. What harm is there in having a bit of fun?"

"I'm all for having fun Serena, I just don't need a guy to do it," retorted Blair.

"Okay, fine. You don't need to hook up with anyone while we are here. But you should still try on these dresses," and she pushed Blair into the dressing room.

XOXO

Chuck and Nate were patiently waiting for Blair and Serena so that they could go out to dinner. Serena was the first to emerge, looking very much like Serena with her hair flowing and a skimpy little orange dress that left little to the imagination. Chuck could care less what Serena was wearing because he only had eyes for one person, and besides, Serena was his sister. Nate, however, certainly noticed what Serena looked like which was evident by the expression on his face.

That lasted for only a minute or so, because when Blair finally appeared all three sets of eyes were fixated on her. Chuck was speechless and his jaw fell to the floor, and Nate let out a not so subtle whistle. Serena, for her part, was grinning from ear to ear. Blair was wearing a very short purple bandage dress that also revealed quite a bit of cleavage - definitely more of a Serena look than a Blair look.

When Chuck finally regained the use of his voice he choked out, "What are you wearing?" 1

Shocked and a bit giddy over Chuck's response to her outfit, Blair innocently answered, "A dress."

"Says who?" questioned Chuck, not sure if he felt comfortable with his wife wearing this particular dress out on the town. Inside the confines of their home, it would be an absolutely welcome outfit, although it wouldn't stay on for very long. Here, every pair of male eyes were sure to be staring at her, undressing her, and that made Chuck extremely uneasy. His feelings about Blair's attire were clear as day on his face, and Blair noticed.

"Herve Leger," quipped Blair before she could stop herself. She liked this jealous Chuck.

"Well I think Blair looks amazing!" interjected Serena before the Chuck and Blair standoff escalated. "Now let's go to dinner," and she hustled everyone out the door to the waiting car.

XOXO

A few hours later the happy foursome were now at a club, continuing their evening tradition with more drinks. Serena had run into someone she knew from somewhere and was chatting at the bar, while Nate, Chuck, and Blair were sitting in a booth. The music was loud and hypnotizing, and Blair couldn't help herself from being taken over by the beat. Her shoulders were moving with the music and she closed her eyes to get lost in the feeling. Maybe it was the wine she consumed at dinner or the champagne she had at the club, but Blair couldn't help the thoughts that kept playing in her mind about Chuck and all the things she wanted to do to him. She glanced a peek at him – he was still talking away with Nate - and he looked absolutely delicious doing it. Without thinking, her tongue ran across her lips while taking in the view of him and then she bit her lower lip, a gesture that Chuck caught. His response was to simply smirk at her and then his eyes traveled down her body and back up. Not one to ever let Chuck get the upper hand, Blair extended her leg and let her foot roam up the inside of Chuck's leg.

Overcome with the urge to be close to him, closer than they could be in the booth, Blair said, "Dance with me." It didn't sound like a request because Blair didn't intend for it to be. She then retracted her foot from Chuck's leg and waited.

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Chuck had been watching Blair all night and the site of her swaying to the music with her eyes shut reminded him of the night at Victrola, the night that started everything. He was currently having a difficult enough time restraining himself from jumping across the booth and having his way with her, but he knew if they were dancing together, if his body was molded against hers, that he wouldn't be able to control himself. That is why he couldn't dance with her.

Unsatisfied with Chuck's answer, Blair leaned across the booth, a move that not so subtly revealed her cleavage, and asked in a seductive voice, "Please Chuck." She then leaned back against the booth to see how he would respond.

"_Blairrrr_," drawled Chuck, dragging out her name. He had to resist her, but he could only do so for a tiny bit longer.

She was getting to him and she knew it. She decided to pull her final trick. "Okay, Bass. If that's how you want it I guess I'll just go and dance by myself. Or better yet, maybe I'll find someone else to dance with me." At this, Blair stood up and walked over to the dancefloor.

Chuck's eyes followed Blair with every step she took. The dress she was wearing showcased her amazing figure and from his current view of her parading across the club, her ass looked utterly fantastic. A decision was made, not that he had much choice in the matter. Nate was just about to resume their conversation, only to be cut off by Chuck. "Excuse me Nathaniel." He then quickly rose from his seat and practically chased after Blair, leaving Nate behind to simply laugh at his friend's behaviour.

On the dancefloor, Blair was rocking her hips to the beat of the music when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. She didn't have to turn around to know it was Chuck – she knew him better than he knew himself and she was certain that he wouldn't able to stand the idea of her dancing with another man. For a few minutes, the two of them just danced, enjoying the feeling of being so close to each other. When the song finished, Blair turned around, laced her arms around Chuck's neck and kissed him. Chuck returned the kiss with vigor, happy to have this moment with his wife.

Regretfully, he pulled away a minute later. He cradled her face in his hands and rested his forehead against hers. "Blair, we can't do this here. Anyone could see us."

"Chuck," sighed Blair. "I have a proposition for you."

"What is it Blair?" Chuck asked. He could never deny her anything.

Blair then took Chuck's face in her hands and nudged him so that they were looking into each other's eyes. "Chuck, we're on vacation." She then stole a deep breath before proceeding, "I propose we take a vacation from our secret relationship and just be together. No hiding. Let's just be ourselves for the rest of this week."

"Its not that easy Blair," and he grabbed her hands and held them tightly. "Nate and Serena are here too."

"So what. We'll tell them the truth, that it's just for this week." Blair then tightened her grip on Chuck's hands and looked straight into his eyes. "I just want to be with you Chuck. I love you." She followed this declaration with a sweet, chaste kiss on the lips.

After not even a minute, although it felt like forever, Chuck relented. "Okay. But only if you're sure?"

In response to Chuck's question, Blair's face broke out in a huge smile and she simply nodded, a gesture that convinced Chuck she was sure. He then returned the smile and placed another kiss on her lips. When he pulled away this time he couldn't help the smirk that spread across his face. "Oh, and I love you too Mrs. Bass. Now what do you say to us getting out of this place?"

"I say lead the way." And Chuck took Blair by the hand and led her out of the club, waving to both Serena and Nate as they walked by.

Wednesday

Chuck woke up to the soft sound of Blair's snoring and he couldn't help the smile that overtook his face. He loved mornings like this, waking up with Blair in his arms. It was home. He glanced quickly at the clock and decided it would be best to wake her up now. They had all agreed last night at dinner that today Nate would take them out sailing, and he wanted to leave by 10 o'clock. That would give them a little more than three hours to eat, get showered and dressed, as well as pack things for their excursion. So he gently rolled Blair onto her back, kissed her lips, and whispered, "Good morning Mrs. Bass. It's time for you to wake up."

"No, no, no," pouted Blair. "I just want to stay in bed all day," and she curled her body into his.

"While there is nothing I would enjoy more than spending the day in bed with you," he kissed her forehead, "making love to you," he kissed her nose, "we promised Nate that we would go sailing with him," and he finally kissed her lips again. "Besides, we need to be prepared for the bombardment of questions we are likely to get from our two best friends."

"Urgh, do we really have to go?" whined Blair. "I think we would have a much better time just the two of us," and she placed her leg over Chuck's body and pulled herself up so she was now straddling him.

"_Blairrrr_," he moaned as she ground her hips into him. He carefully placed his hands on her hips to still her movements. "We promised Nate." But Blair was undeterred, so she removed his hands from her hips, placed them on her breasts, and resumed torturing Chuck with her lower body.

"What was that you saying Chuck? I didn't quite hear you over all the moaning you were doing," and Blair arched her back giving Chuck a perfect view of her body, one that she knew he wouldn't be able to resist.

"You little minx," hissed Chuck. "How about this – we go sailing with Nate today and I promise to make it worth your while later." The last bit came out with a groan as Blair began nibbling on his ear.

"And how exactly are you going to do that?" she whispered into his ear.

"Here, why don't I show you," and he rolled them both over and proceeded to make love to his wife.

XOXO

Blair was looking at her reflection in the mirror, doing the finishing touches to her hair, when Serena came into their shared bathroom. "How are you doing this morning Blair?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she eyed Serena in the mirror. "How about yourself?"

"You're just fine?" probed Serena as she ignored Blair's question. "I wasn't sure because Chuck didn't sleep in his bed last night."

"I don't see what that's got to do with me?" said Blair as she avoided the inevitable conversation she knew Serena was trying to have with her. That didn't last long.

"Well, you two left the club together, and when Nate and I came back last night we noticed that Chuck wasn't in his room. So we checked to see if you were here, and we saw the two of you in your bed. Now, do you have anything you want to tell me?"

"What do you want me to say Serena?" Blair paused. "Do you want me to tell you all the details about the amazing sex we had last night and this morning? Because I can." At this Serena squirmed because this was not a topic she wanted to know anything about. Then Blair continued, "You were the one who was encouraging me to let loose, so I did. Is that a crime?"

"No, of course its not a crime, I just didn't mean for you to hook up with Chuck," exclaimed Serena. More calmly, she carried on, "With you and Chuck, someone is bound to get hurt."

"While I appreciate your concern, I'm fine Serena. I know exactly what I am doing."

"Its not you that I'm worried about," and Serena looked Blair straight in the eyes.

"Huh?" was all Blair could manage and she turned back to the mirror, avoiding Serena's glare.

"Chuck loves you more than anything, and I would hate for him to get his hopes up about the two of you only to see him have his heart broken again."

Blair was touched by the concern Serena had for Chuck. At times like this she really wanted to tell her best friend, her _sister-in-law_, everything. But she couldn't, so she needed to reassure her that Chuck would be okay. "Serena, you don't need to worry about Chuck. We've talked about this and he's fine with how things are between us at the moment." She then moved so that she was face to face with Serena. "I love him Serena and the last thing I want to do is hurt him," her voice was soft as she spoke. "When the time is right, Chuck and I will be together and it will be forever. We both know this." She then cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders, an unmistakable sign that this conversation was over. "As for right now, we're just having a bit of fun while we are on vacation. I'll let you have the bathroom now," and she exited the bathroom leaving Serena behind simply shaking her head.

XOXO

Chuck and Nate were enjoying their breakfast on the patio, when Nate finally gathered up the courage to broach the subject he'd been meaning to all morning. "So, you and Blair again?"

"Excuse me?"

"Listen, I know you two spent the night together. So, does this mean you're back together? Are you ChuckandBlair again?" His voice was actually hopeful as he asked his best friend these questions.

"No," huffed Chuck. "I mean, not really. It's complicated, okay?" hoping this would indicate to Nate that he didn't really want to continue this conversation.

Chuck would have no such luck as Nate continued, "I just hope you know what you're doing. Blair has a way of getting under your skin, if you know what I mean." Chuck had to laugh at this, because she definitely had a way of getting under his skin, as well as under him in so many other ways.

"While I am touched by the sentiment Nathaniel, I know exactly what, and who might I add, I am doing." At this comment, Nate couldn't help but roll his eyes at his best friend. "And I may as well prepare you, last night was just a prelude for the rest of this vacation."

"As long as you're sure you know what you're doing?" relented Nate. He knew there was no point in trying to talk Chuck out of anything when his mind was made up.

"Oh, I absolutely, without a shred of doubt," he reassured Nate, "know exactly what I am doing with Blair." A smirk came across his face as he began to imagine all the things he planned on doing with Blair while they were here. "There is just one rule I would like to apply to the rest of this trip – what happens in St. Bart's stays in St. Bart's. Okay?"

"Sure, whatever you say Chuck," and Nate slapped Chuck on the back and the two best friends laughed while they finished their coffee and juice.

XOXO

Hours later, in the middle of the Caribbean Sea on a sailboat, the members of the Non-judging Breakfast Club were lounging on the deck and snacking on cheese, fruit, and bread. It was a perfect day for sailing, with a clear blue sky surrounding them and only a slight breeze. Not wanting to get a sunburn, Blair placed a bottle of sunscreen into Chuck's hands and lifted her hair from her neck. Chuck got lost for a moment at the site of Blair's neck – the nape of her neck truly was his kryptonite. He quickly shook his head to rid his brain of those thoughts and began applying the lotion all over Blair's body, and he couldn't help it if his hands happened to journey to places they shouldn't.

As soon as Chuck began massaging the backs of her thighs and his hands slowly started creeping further between her legs, Blair let out a loud moan that was meant for Chuck's ears alone but instead was heard by their friends as well.

"Oh My God," squealed Serena, "can't you two keep your hands to yourselves for a few hours? Besides, there are other people here."

"Well, Serena, you are more than welcome to join us," responded Chuck, and he couldn't help the low rumble of laughter that accompanied this statement.

Serena's face turned up at his comment, "Eww, you're disgusting." At this, the other three friends started laughing at Serena's facial expressions. "You know that Nate and I are trapped on this boat with you for at least another couple of hours, so please keep your hands to yourselves."

"Well there is one way to fix the situation, sis," replied Chuck as he rose to a standing position.

"Yeah, and what's that brother dear?"

"You could go for a swim," and before Serena knew what was happening, Chuck picked her up and threw her into the water.

Both Blair and Nate's jaws dropped at this and all they could hear was Serena screaming, "You are going to pay for this Chuck. I swear."

At the sound of her best friend's yells, Blair got up and made her way over to the edge to check on Serena. "Don't worry sis, you won't be alone for long," and then Chuck turned to Nate and nodded. Nate quickly picked Blair up and tossed her into the sea as well.

"This is not funny!" shrieked Blair as she swam over to Serena. "You two better watch yourselves as you sleep tonight!"

"Empty threats don't scare me," Nate chimed in, while he and his best friend chuckled at the site of the two furious girls in the water.

A couple of minutes later, after Nate dropped the ladder off the side of the boat and Chuck grabbed a few floats, both Chuck and Nate joined the two ladies in the water. The four friends laughed, swam, and played in the ocean, as if they didn't have a care in the world.

XOXO

After a long day at sea, the four Upper East Siders decided to stay in for dinner that night as they were all exhausted and didn't feel like going out. Later on, Nate decided that they should all participate in a rum tasting, as flavored rums were all over the islands and he and Chuck had purchased quite a few (coconut, butter, mango, cherry, and banana) the other day. So they brought beach chairs down to the shore and sat next to the water, with their shot glasses in hand sampling the various treats. While they all chatted and laughed, Chuck thought this was the best time to bring up his plans for tomorrow.

"So, tomorrow I need to do a bit of work." At this off-handed comment, the other three friends turned to look at Chuck, Nate and Serena sporting confused looks on their faces while Blair wore a frown. He hated seeing the disappointed look on their faces, especially Blair's, but it was only for half a day he rationalized. "Bass Industries owns a resort and spa on the island, and I need to check it out. I was thinking that you guys could come and treat yourself to an afternoon at the spa." He hoped this last part would help to appease his friends.

Both Blair and Serena jumped at the chance to spend some time in the spa, they were already planning on massages, mani/pedis, as well as facials. Nate, on the other hand, was not very happy about this development. "That's great for the girls Chuck, but what do you expect me to do while you're at work and they are off at the spa?"

"I figured that you would join them?" Chuck replied non-chalantly.

"Um, I don't think so. I'm not going to spend my afternoon at the spa. I don't know who you think I am, but my balls are still firmly attached to my body," defended Nate.

"Oh, come on Nate. I get regular massages and pedicures, and I have been known to spend time at the spa. It doesn't make me any less of a man," countered Chuck.

"Yes," Blair, who was now feeling the effects of the rum in her system, interrupted, "I can attest that Chuck is very much a man! And his balls are definitely still there, right next to his you-know-what." At this, she fell into a fit of giggles and decided that Chuck's lap looked far more comfortable than the chair she was sitting in.

Chuck quickly enveloped her in his arms and kissed her cheek. It was the most natural reaction in the world for Chuck, something that both Serena and Nate noticed. As if it was no big deal Chuck continued, "You should give it a try man. Especially after all the sailing today, your muscles will be begging for a massage."

Finally, Serena piped in. "Do it Natie!" The nicknames came out when Serena exceeded her limit. "It will be so much fun – you, me and Blair together."

"Oh, yes Nate. You've got to come with us," squealed a drunken Blair as she clapped her hands excitedly.

"Fine," Nate reluctantly agreed. Then with a firm voice he said, "But I am not getting anything waxed and you are not allowed to tell anyone about this. Remember the rule Chuck, what happens in St. Bart's, stays in St. Bart's."

A little while later, Nate came to a realization. "You know what. So far we've had one day where we did what Serena wanted, today we did what I wanted, and tomorrow we're doing what Chuck wants to do."

"Hey," interrupted Chuck, "I don't want to work. I have to. That's different."

"Well, it still counts. Anyways, this means that Blair gets to decide what we get to do on one of our remaining days on the island."

At hearing her name, Blair quickly spun her head in the direction of Nate's voice, which probably wasn't the wisest thing to do as she became dizzy and felt herself almost get sick. Luckily Chuck was there to calm her by rubbing her back, and to hold her hair if things got bad. "What did you say about me Archibald?" she demanded.

"I simply said that you get to choose what we do on one of our last days here. So," he teased, "choose wisely."

"Oh, okay," she said not really caring. "I guess I can think of something." Blair then burrowed her head into Chuck's shoulder and whispered to him, "I don't feel so good Chuck."

Chuck responded with a small chuckle, rubbed her back, and softly said, "How about we get you to bed?" In response, Blair just nodded but instantly regretted it as everything started spinning. Noticing that Blair was not doing to well, Chuck picked her up, excused both Blair and himself to the others, and carried her to bed.

Once she was in her bed, Chuck carefully removed her clothes and gently put one of her nighties on her. He then stripped down to his boxers and joined her in the bed. Blair instantly curled into him, "Thanks Bass, I love you." And before he could even turn out the light, she was asleep.

"I love you too, Bass," he sighed as he kissed her head and wrapped his arms around her.

Thursday

The next morning was a painful one for each of the four members of the Non-judging Breakfast Club. While Blair was certain she was going to be sick, it was actually Serena who ended up worshipping the porcelain goddess. Chuck and Nate fared much better, but no one had much of an appetite that morning. It wasn't until mid-morning before anyone even ventured out onto the patio. Nate and Chuck were brave enough to have some coffee and a bit of food. Blair took her seat but she kept her sunglasses on because she claimed they were helping with her headache and she was adamant that it had nothing to do with the dark circles under her eyes. Chuck insisted that she at least drink some water and tried to get her to eat some bread, assuring her that it would help. After explaining that he has dealt with his fair-share of hangovers, he finally convinced Blair to eat something and she was surprised that it stayed in her system. When Serena ultimately made her way outside, the others were not surprised at all to see her still dragging her feet and her appearance mimicked how she felt – like shit. Not that Serena could ever really look bad, but she didn't look like her normal, glowing self. Once she sat down, she proclaimed, "I am never drinking rum again!" and while the other three laughed, they all agreed with her declaration.

A few hours later their car pulled up at the Bass Ind. owned resort/spa and both Blair and Serena were looking forward to a relaxing afternoon of pampering. Nate was still groaning about participating in what he felt was a very feminine activity, and all Chuck could do was roll his eyes at his friend because he knew that he would change his tune very soon. Chuck brought them to the spa, introduced them, and told the staff to make sure they were taken care of. After that, he bid them all adieu as he went about meeting the rest of the staff and spending a couple of hours with the current manager.

When Chuck finally finished his work, he met his three friends lounging outside at the hotel pool sipping some fruity concoctions with tiny little umbrellas. They all looked refreshed after their time in the spa, even Nate, so Chuck couldn't help but tease him about it. "Nathaniel, I see you didn't suddenly develop breasts. In fact, you still look quite masculine to me."

"Chuck, you were absolutely right," he conceded. "A day at the spa does not make me less of a man. In fact, its quite nice having a hot chick rub oil all over my body." While the girls couldn't help but roll their eyes at his use of the word _chick_, his comment did garner laughs from everyone.

"So, what does everyone want to do now?" questioned Chuck. They all just shrugged their shoulders, not really wanting to do much, so they agreed to hang out at the pool for a bit longer.

XOXO

That evening, the four friends opted for take-out again and a night of watching movies or playing games. They feasted on delicacies such as lobster ravioli and seared scallops, and they shared a couple of bottles of a really good dry white wine – a nice contrast to the previous evening's rum experiment. When dinner was done, everyone was more than willing to settle in for a movie. Chuck reclined in one of the sofas and Blair nestled herself between his legs, leaning against his chest. Immediately, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her just above her ear, while her hands found their way to his.

As Nate handed Chuck a glass of scotch, he couldn't help but comment on their picture of domestic bliss. "You two look like an old married couple."

"Excuse me, Archibald," scoffed Blair, obviously offended by Nate's statement. "Take that back this instant. I am insulted that you would insinuate that either Chuck or I is old. Seriously!"

"Yes, Nathaniel, we are anything but old," chimed Chuck as he turned Blair's face to his own and proceeded to make out with her like two teenagers in front of their two friends.

"Get a room," joked Nate. Still, he couldn't help but notice that they were both appalled about being referred to as old and that neither one of them seemed the tiniest bit upset that he compared them to a married couple. That thought made him chuckle. The sound of Serena's voice brought him back to the present.

"Come on you guys, stop it," protested Serena, playfully covering her eyes. "You're making my eyes bleed. Now let's watch the movie." Serena produced a DVD from behind her back and waved in front of everyone.

"OK, fine, we'll stop," conceded Blair. She then perked up, "Now what film are we watching?"

"The Social Network."

"Really sis, you couldn't pick a better movie to watch?" complained Chuck. "We already know the story, we read it in the papers as it was happening. Besides, while I respect Zuckerberg for his success, the guy is an arrogant prick. And don't even get me started on the Winklevoss twins."

"I can't stand those two," Nate contributed. "I remember when I was younger, the Captain and I would see them at the yacht club in the Hamptons. They thought they were so great because they were going to compete in the Olympics. Too bad they didn't even medal," he chuckled.

"Please, can we watch it?" begged Serena. "It's got Andrew Garfield in it and I hear that he's that going to play the next Spiderman – you guys know how I love my superheroes."

"Yes, we know Serena," drawled Blair. "You keep talking about the Spiderman musical and more recently about the Green Lantern movie that coming out, although I think you are more excited about Ryan Reynolds than the actual movie."

"What can I say, he's hot," shrugged Serena. She then proposed, "How about this – we watch 'The Social Network' first and then we can watch 'Inception'? What do you think?"

The other three replied at the same exact time with "Fine," "Sure," and "Great," and they settled in to watch the movie.

About 30 minutes into the movie, Blair jumped up and yelled, "Pause the movie!" At her outburst, three heads whipped around to see what the hell Blair was talking about. "I've been trying to figure out why the Winklevoss twins look so familiar, and now I've got it. They look exactly like that con artist, ex-boyfriend of yours Serena – you know 'North Caroliar'."

Chuck couldn't hold back his laughter. "You mean the guy she '_married'_, right?"

"Oh. My. God," gasped Serena. "You're right, they do look so much like Gabriel."

Nate, always a bit slow on the uptake, finally piped in, "Married?"

Blair and Chuck both started laughing at Nate's question, and when Serena attempted to give them an evil stare they just started laughing more.

"Urgh, I can't believe you told him about that Blair," whined Serena. "That was a secret."

"Oh, Serena, you know I tell Chuck everything."

"Still, you were supposed to keep that to yourself," pouted Serena.

"Listen, sis. I never told a soul, so don't worry about it."

"Is someone going to tell me what the hell you are all talking about?" demanded Nate. Serena finally relented and explained what happened to Nate and after that the foursome resumed their movie night.

Later that evening, after the movies were done, Blair got up, took Chuck by the hand, and led him to her room, both of them saying good night to their friends on the way. Once out of sight, Serena simply shook her head while Nate just shrugged his shoulders. Then Serena voiced what they were both thinking, "I just don't understand why they insist on being apart. They're perfect together."

"Yeah," Nate agreed. "Not only should those two be together, but those two _need_ to be together. But what can you do? They're Chuck and Blair – no one can tell them what to do."

"Believe me, I know." And with that they said their goodnights and went to their separate rooms.

Friday

At six o'clock AM, the alarm on Chuck's phone started going off. Blair immediately sat up, ripped off her sleepmask, and cursed the man sleeping beside her, "What the hell, Chuck! Why did you set your alarm for," and she squinted to make out the time on the clock, "6 AM?"

Chuck yawned and stretched his arms above his head. With a tired voice he answered, "Because Mrs. Bass, I am whisking you away for the day – just you and me alone for the entire day." As he pulled himself into a sitting position, he reached for Blair and pulled her into a kiss. "Now, we have a car picking us up in about 30 minutes. You don't need to worry about bringing anything."

"But we're supposed to be going snorkeling with Serena and Nate today."

"Are you telling me that you would rather go snorkeling with the two blondes instead of spending the whole day with your adoring and incredibly sexy husband?" Chuck playfully sulked.

"Of course not," and she couldn't help herself from kissing him at that moment, his bedhead hair was just too cute. "I just feel bad."

"Don't. We'll leave them a note and tell them that we will all go snorkeling tomorrow," reasoned Chuck. "Besides, I have a strange feeling that they will understand our desire to have a day to ourselves."

"Yeah, Serena will probably be happy that her eyes get a rest from seeing us together," giggled Blair. "Are you at least going to tell me what we are doing?"

"Nope," and Chuck made a clicking noise with his tongue. "So you may as well start getting ready."

"Fine," sighed Blair begrudgingly, but a smile quickly took over her face. The two of them then got out of bed and got ready as swiftly as possible.

XOXO

An hour later, Blair reclined on the bed as Chuck closed the door of a suite at the Bass Ind. owned resort. She gracefully kicked off her shoes, as she retreated further on the bed. "So, are we spending the entire day alone in this room?" asked Blair seductively.

"No," answered Chuck as he slowly stalked across the room to the bed Blair was now lying on. Unbuttoning his shirt as he walked, Chuck continued, "but I figured there is nothing wrong with having breakfast in bed. And I know exactly what I am in the mood for." Chuck then discarded his shirt and climbed on top of Blair. His lips made their way up her body, planting kisses along the way, until he reached her ear into which he whispered, "Now is there anything in this suite that you find particularly appetizing this morning Mrs. Bass?" Blair's eyes rolled back in her head as she felt him attack her body with his mouth and she once again lost herself in everything Chuck.

After thoroughly exhausting themselves, both Chuck and Blair decided they needed to eat something to help them regain their energy. A spread of wonderfully delicious breakfast treats was brought to the room, including éclairs for Chuck and a chocolate croissant for Blair. Once they had their fill, Chuck informed Blair that they would be leaving soon for the rest of the day.

As Chuck and Blair made their way to the water, Blair got very excited when she eyed the yacht at the end of the dock, thinking that Chuck was going to recreate their wedding. So she was disappointed when Chuck steered her into a waiting speedboat. "Not exactly what I was expecting Bass. You know the wind is going to do a number on my hair," griped Blair.

"Blair," sighed Chuck. "I don't give a shit how your hair looks. Just sit back and enjoy the ride." The boat edged away from the dock and once it hit the open water, it started to pick up speed. Chuck leaned back and put his arm around Blair, while she rested her head in the crook of his neck. They sat back and chatted as they took in the beautiful scenery around them. Every once in a while a gust of water would spray them, and they couldn't help but squeal with laughter when it happened. Blair had long abandoned any worries about her hair because she realized it didn't matter. Chuck loved her no matter what and she felt exactly the same about him. They were happy together.

Roughly 45 minutes later, the boat began to slow down. Blair looked around confused, because she couldn't understand what was happening. Eventually, the boat pulled up as close as it could to a small, deserted island. The driver of the boat jumped out and pulled the boat closer to the beach. He then retrieved a few items from the boat, one of which Blair noticed was a picnic basket. Following his lead, Chuck took off his shoes and hopped into the shallow water. Even though the water didn't quite reach his knees, he offered his arms to Blair so she wouldn't have to get wet. Carrying her bridal style, Chuck brought Blair to the secluded beach. Once he set her down, Blair looked around in awe when she realized all that Chuck had planned; a picnic lunch for the just the two of them, with no one around to disturb them for the entire afternoon. It was perfect.

"We've got all afternoon to ourselves here. The boat will be back around 5 PM, so we can do absolutely anything we want until then _Mrs. Bass_."

"Chuck, I can't believe you did all this. It's," Blair stuttered, she was at a loss for words, "it's one of the most romantic things you've ever done for me. Just, wow," she gushed.

"Come," and he grabbed her hand. "Let's sit down, relax, and have a drink."

Chuck and Blair made their way to the blanket that was spread out for them and each enjoyed a glass of sparkling water. They lounged on the beach for a little while, kissing and groping, but at times just talking. Blair shared her excitement about Sotheby's while Chuck shared his nerves about Bass Industries. They talked about their hopes and dreams and their plans for their new home. These types of moments were so rare for the two of them and they knew once the semester started they would be even harder to come by, so they were savoring the opportunity to just sit back and enjoy each other's company. They lunched on strawberries and champagne, luxurious food like caviar and foie gras, simple treats like cheese and bread, and of course macarons. But they didn't spend the entire time on the beach, they also frolicked in the water, splashing around and dunking each other. Chuck dared Blair to go topless and she responded by stripping naked. They made love on the beach as well as in the ocean. If anyone from home had seen them, they would never have recognized Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf-Bass, but none of that mattered to them. They were simply ChuckandBlair, BlairandChuck, and that's all they needed.

XOXO

When Chuck and Blair returned to the Vanderbilt estate it was close to 8 PM. They had stopped by their suite to shower first, to wash the salt water and sand from their bodies. Upon entering the house, Blair noticed it was extremely quiet so she yelled out, "Serena? Nate? Is anyone home?" No response.

"Blair," Chuck called out from the back deck. "Come here."

"What is," Blair stopped mid-sentence, at a loss for words. The patio was lit by close to a hundred tealight candles, there were various types of flowers native to the Caribbean surrounding the table, and a bottle of champagne chilling with two flutes next to it. Finally she murmured, "What is all this?"

"Here, read this," and Chuck handed Blair the note that was on the table.

_C & B -_

_We're going out for dinner and drinks, so the house is yours for a few hours. There is salad and bisque to eat if you're hungry. _

_Enjoy yourselves._

_N & S_

_PS – We ARE going snorkeling tomorrow, no backing out on us again!_

Blair dabbed the corners of her eyes to keep the tears from falling and again took in the beautiful setting their best friends had arranged for them. With her voice trembling, she said, "This is so sweet of them. I don't know how to ever thank them for this."

"Well," Chuck cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips, "we can do as they asked, and have a wonderful night. Why don't you sit down and pour us some champagne while I get the food."

They sipped champagne, feasted on salad and lobster bisque for dinner, and indulged on coconut cake with mango ice cream for dessert. Afterwards, they retreated to Blair's room for the night and second desserts. Some time later, they were woken up by the sound of their drunken best friends as they stumbled into the house and their rooms. Chuck and Blair shared a laugh at their friends' expenses and easily fell back to sleep in each other's arms.

Saturday

Chuck woke up earlier than usual and couldn't fall back asleep. Beside him, Blair was still sleeping peacefully and he didn't want to disturb her, but he was restless. All of sudden, an idea popped into his head so he quietly got out of bed to make the arrangements. When everything was confirmed, he knocked on Nate's door and moved inside his room to see if he could rouse his best friend.

"Nathaniel," he called out. When he heard nothing in reply he gently shook his friend and repeated his name.

Nate woke with a start, "Huh?" clearly still in a daze. He sat up and looked around the room for a second before asking while rubbing his eyes, "Chuck, what's up? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I was just wondering if you were up for a round of golf this morning. I pulled some strings and got us a 7 AM tee time if you're interested."

Nate perked up at the idea. "Absolutely. We haven't golfed in a while. Whaaa," his words were interrupted by a yawn, "Ugh, sorry about that. What time is it now?"

"It's just about six o'clock, plenty of time for us to get ready and to the course before tee time."

"Great," and Nate was already out of bed, "I'll be ready to go by 6:45."

Chuck left his friend's room and to prepare for the day. He was really excited to hang out with his best friend for the morning. While he loved every second he got to be with Blair, he hadn't spent much time with just Nate on this trip and he thought it would be fun for the two of them to have some guy time. Before leaving, Chuck popped back into Blair's room to tell her where he was going. She sleepily told him to have fun and reminded him that they were all supposed to go snorkeling that afternoon. With that, he kissed her cheek and set off with Nate for a round of 18 holes.

XOXO

Blair and Serena had taken advantage of the boys absence to work on their tans that morning, flip through the latest fashion magazines, and simply chat, just like they had so many times over the all their summers in the Hamptons. During their morning together, Serena attempted on numerous occasions to get Blair to discuss the situation between her and Chuck, while on the links, Nate had tried a couple of times to ask Chuck what was going on with Blair. Both Serena and Nate were shot down repeatedly, with Blair insisting that things were better this way and Chuck revealing that when the time is right they'll be together. Serena and Nate protested of course and told each of them that it was obvious they should be together, a statement that neither Blair nor Chuck denied. But in the end, Blair and Chuck refused to discuss it anymore and changed the subject.

The guys returned to the house around 11 AM and found the girls lounging in their bikinis at the beach. After taking a quick dip in the water, the four of them decided they would all go out to a local café for lunch before going snorkeling.

The plan was for everyone to go snorkeling – it was Blair's idea, her choice for a NJBC outing. Blair had never been before, and she wasn't even sure if she wanted to go, but she thought it seemed like something people did when they visited the Caribbean. Turns out, both Nate and Serena loved snorkeling and thought it was a great idea. Chuck had been previously and didn't hate it, so he also agreed to go. Thus, Blair purchased snorkeling gear for all of them because she refused to rent equipment that had previously been used by unknown individuals. After lunch, they drove to a lagoon a short distance from Nate's family's house, a spot that is popular for its underwater life. Once everyone figured out how to put everything on, they set out to see the 'sites'. It took Blair a little time to get the hang of it, but it wasn't long before she was snorkeling like a veteraned pro. Blair, Chuck, Nate, and Serena were having a blast as they kept pointing out things they saw to each other. Nate actually had an underwater camera, so he snapped lots of pictures of the gang both in and out of the water. By the end, they had had so much fun that they decided they would definitely have to do this again.

That evening Chuck, Blair, Nate, and Serena elected to go out to dinner for their last night on the island. Sure, St. Bart's was renowned for its French cuisine, but after seeing all the fish swimming around that afternoon they were all suddenly in the mood for sushi. When dinner was done, they decided against going out to a bar or a club which would have been crowded and loud, but instead chose to head back to the house where the four of them could just relax and hang out. They talked about college, the upcoming semester, and their internships. After a while, Nate offered up a bit of poker, to which Chuck asked, "Strip poker?" while both girls simultaneously declared, "No strip poker!" They played for chips but, more importantly, for bragging rights. Nate proved to have a horrible poker face, and even though Blair wasn't actually great with cards her poker face could not be cracked. Before they turned in for the evening, Blair suggested a walk on the beach, to which they all agreed. It was a beautiful night, the sky was clear and there was a bit of a breeze in the air. At times the tide would touch their bare feet and at times they chose to wade in the water. It was a night the four best friends would never forget.

Sunday

Everyone was slow to rise on their final morning in St. Bart's. Like every other morning besides the first one, Chuck was sleeping in Blair's bed. They were so exhausted the previous evening that they had fallen asleep without making love and that was unacceptable in Blair's opinion. She was trying to decide on the best way possible to wake him, when she felt his hand creep between her legs and begin to tease her. She pretended to still be asleep (although he knew she was awake based on her breathing) and tried not to respond to his actions, but it was useless because her body couldn't help its reaction. Soon enough, her panties were soaked but she was determined to continue toying with him so she kept her eyes shut and pretended to ignore him. Chuck knew what Blair was doing and couldn't help but watch her as he continued tempting her with his fingers. She thought she was being so still, but her facial expressions were not and Chuck picked up on this. He could see that she was starting to break, and noticed that she bit her lip to keep her moans from escaping. Chuck then whispered seductively in her ear, "I think its time for me to wake you up properly Mrs. Bass." The next thing she felt was the bed shift and Chuck had disappeared under the sheets. He ripped her panties off and replaced his fingers with his mouth. Needless to say, both Chuck and Blair made up for anything they may have missed out on the previous evening, and because of that, they were especially late in joining their friends for brunch.

When Chuck and Blair finally emerged from the bathroom dressed for the day – they had decided it would be faster to shower together, and of course it wasn't – they walked into a disaster in the kitchen. Serena said she felt like waffles and insisted that she knew how to make them, but between her and Nate, they had managed to get the batter everywhere and broke the waffle iron. Blair couldn't understand why anyone would choose plain old boring waffles when they could have exquisite French foods like crepes and croissants. So Nate ran to the place around the corner and grabbed exactly that, crepes and croissants, for everyone while Serena stayed behind and attempted to scramble eggs. The four of them sat for one last time on the deck overlooking the ocean while they enjoyed their brunch and sipped mimosas. It was a perfectly simple morning to end a fabulous vacation.

XOXO

This time, Blair sat with Chuck for the flight back to NY. They occupied the loveseat on the side of the plane and Chuck had his arm wrapped around Blair's shoulders. While on the flight to St. Bart's everyone did their own thing, however for the return flight the four friends decided to watch a movie together. It was as if they wanted to prolong the end of the vacation as much as possible. Once the movie finished, they continued to chat among themselves, discussing the start of the semester. Classes were going to begin in just over a week and all four of them would be enrolled at Columbia now. They knew that even though they would all be attending the same college, between their classes and internships, moments like these would be hard to come by. Chuck proposed a monthly dinner at his new place, and while Nate and Serena readily agreed, they were surprised because this was the first they were hearing about Chuck's new digs.

"Wait, you bought a place?" Serena questioned.

"Yeah, why am I just hearing about this now?" interjected Nate, slightly hurt that his best friend hadn't informed him of this huge development in his life.

"Sorry I didn't tell you guys, it happened so recently. Besides, until I move in it doesn't feel real, if you know what I mean," and they all nodded in understanding.

"Well, aren't you going to tell us about it?" asked Nate. Then, to lighten the mood, he joked, "Is there at least a spare room for me to crash in?" This garnered a laugh out of everyone. Chuck went on the detail the penthouse apartment he and Blair had recently purchased, although he left out that last detail. Together, everyone agreed to a monthly dinner but they decided to rotate the location between Chuck's new place, Nate's penthouse at the Empire, Blair and Serena's joint residence, and a restaurant somewhere in Manhattan.

The plane touched down in NY around 5 PM and everyone begrudgingly gathered up their belongings. When Nate and Serena stood up, they turned to Blair and Chuck and waited for them. Chuck then spoke, "Hey guys, would you mind giving us a few minutes alone together? We'll meet you at the limo."

Both Serena and Nate understood and replied with a soft "sure" and "no problem". They picked up their bags and left the plane, leaving Blair and Chuck alone on the plane.

Blair immediately wrapped her arms around Chuck, an act he willingly reciprocated. He felt her body begin to shudder in his arms, and he knew she was crying. After holding each other for a few more minutes, Chuck tucked his fingers under Blair's chin and nudged her to look him in the eyes. "I love you Mrs. Bass," and he followed this statement by a kiss.

Blair couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes. "I love you too Bass. I just don't want this to end."

"I know what you mean. This past week has been heaven. Who knows, maybe we can take a 'vacation' like this one again sometime?" proposed Chuck with a smile as he wiped her tears away with the pad of this thumb.

Blair knew exactly what he meant. Not just another trip, but another break from keeping their relationship a secret. Being able to just be together, hanging out with their best friends, and not having to worry about being caught was such a nice change. "That would be really nice."

"Come on," Chuck backed away and began rubbing his hands up and down Blair's arms. "We should get going."

"Do we have to?" whined Blair as she ran her hands up and down Chuck's chest.

"Yes, we do," countered Chuck even though he didn't feel it. "Hey, at least this time I didn't have to get you wet to keep our secret safe," he chuckled, trying to ease the situation.

"I still want a new dress," Blair demanded playfully. She was slowly regaining her composure as well as the courage to leave the plane.

"Let's go home Mrs. Bass. Its time to make you into a powerful woman," and with clasped hands they exited the plane to face their reality.

1, This exchange was adapted from the film 'Clueless'. Yes, I realize that is probably dating me, but I don't care. I just love that cute little movie.

A/N: So I just want to thank everyone who took the time to read and review my story – the reviews help keep me going. So thank you to: CBfanhere, amxoxo, 24hrscout, Kels, Temp02, TriGemini, Kirstenroxs22, ellibells, Iz, Yay, olimgossip, TracyGrove, msboskiera, ggreviewer, 88Mary88, Elise, Melcangel, and Dede.

Also, thank you to my wonderful and amazing newly acquired beta, Dr. Holland, and my fellow Chairleaders in the TV fanatic thread, especially my home girl K, whose love for my story encouraged me to keep going in these dark times.


	10. Chapter 9

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I've updated, but real life happens (as I'm sure you all know). So, onto my next installment - this is a CB-centric chapter that is again full of fluff. I'm not entirely happy with it, but I don't know if I ever will be so I decided to post it now.

I don't own anything.

Chapter 9

"Blair," yelled Chuck as he walked off the elevator into the Waldorf penthouse. They had a standing study-date for Monday evenings. Both Chuck and Blair had elected to take Japanese. Chuck because he still needed to fulfill his foreign language requirement. (Nate laughed at this because they had already bent quite a few rules by giving Chuck the credits they had, he didn't see why they couldn't wave the foreign language requirement as well, especially considering that Chuck was already fluent in both French and German. He jokingly asked if they were going to make him take the required physical education credits too, to which Chuck scowled and said, "Don't ask.")

It had also been suggested to Chuck that knowing a little bit of Japanese would go along way at Bass Ind. and in the business world, so he reluctantly signed up to take the class that met once a week. Blair, on the other hand, had registered for the class late after her first week at Sotheby's. The project that she was initially involved in dealt with a large collection of Asian art and she realized it would give her an edge if she could at least partially communicate with some of the clients in Asia. She debated between Japanese, Mandarin, and Cantonese, and in the end she signed up for Japanese, in part because she liked the idea of taking a class with Chuck. It would give them an excuse to spend some time together, plus she thought it would be interesting to see Chuck back in the classroom setting. She couldn't quite get over the fact that her husband was going to college.

"Blair," repeated Chuck, who was again met with silence. Nevertheless he continued, "I brought sushi for dinner. I thought it would get us in the mood for all things Japanese."

As Chuck walked further into the room, he noticed that it wasn't in its normally pristine condition – it was in complete disarray. The throw pillows from the sofa were scattered everywhere. There was a large blanket set on the floor and another draped on the sofa. There was a stack of books (not text books he noted) also on the sofa and some on the floor. There were children's toys thrown across the room – Chuck saw a couple of rattles, a large and a small ball, a bunch of stuffed animals, some plastic rings, and some other items that he assumed were toys. He also saw there was a rather large wet spot on the sofa, as well as one on the floor. That's when he heard wailing coming from the kitchen and he put it all together. Slowly, he made his way into the kitchen and what he witnessed upon entering the room made his jaw drop.

There was Blair, his Blair, the always perfect, poised, and put-together Blair, looking nothing like herself. Pieces of her hair had fallen out of its bun and were flying all over the place. Her blouse was half untucked from her skirt. There was a rather large orange stain on her top and a matching one on her skirt. It also looked like there was a speck of something orange on her cheek. Blair hadn't even realized that Chuck was there because she was so busy wrestling with the child in the highchair, trying to get the baby to eat who obviously had something very different on her mind.

"Please Anna," begged Blair. "You need to eat. See, sweet potatoes are yummy," and Blair faked eating a spoonful of the orange goo. When Blair extended the spoon to Anna again, the girl swatted it, sending sweet potato puree everywhere. This caused Blair to groan, Anna to laugh, and Chuck to smile. Suddenly, Anna locked eyes with Chuck and reached out for him. The baby's reaction caused Blair to turn and she quickly turned red with embarrassment so she grabbed a towel to cover her face and clean herself up. "Ugh, Chuck. What are you doing here?"

"We have a study-date," he answered cautiously. He then slowly raised the food her brought and calmly said, "And I brought dinner."

"Well, you're early," she sneered as she tried to fix her hair.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't think you would mind if I showed up an hour or so early. We do have an exam next week so I thought it would be good if we got in a little bit of extra studying."

"You're such a liar. I can guarantee you weren't thinking about studying."

"Okay, you got me," he said as a playful smirk spread across his face. "And I must say, this new look of yours is quite a turn-on. You look fucking hot Mrs. Bass," and his eyes traveled up and down her body.

"Awwww! Ba ba ba ba ba!" babbled Anna as she pounded her hands on the tray of the highchair, trying to get the attention of the two adults in the room.

"Chuck," screeched Blair. "Don't say things like that in front of Anna."

"Oh come on Blair. She doesn't understand."

"Children's minds are like sponges, they absorb _everything_. The last thing we need is for Anna's first words to be 'fucking hot'," the last bit was whispered by Blair, distaste at saying such a phrase evident in her voice.

"Fine," replied Chuck, as he rolled his eyes. "I promise to be on my best behavior from now on. Happy?"

"Yes. Now be a doll and help me get Anna to eat."

And as if on cue, Anna started up again, "EEEE!" She then raised both of her hands and slammed them back onto the tray, this time sending a tiny bit of her sweet potatoes flying in her face. Unphased, she just continued, "Ya ya ya ya ya" while putting her fingers into her mouth.

"Um, Blair," said Chuck, clearly flummoxed and staring at Anna in the seat as if she were an alien. "I'm not sure I am going to be of much help. I don't really know anything about babies, so why don't I just wait in the other room while you two finish up in here?" Chuck was already eyeing the door of the kitchen and planning his exit strategy.

"Not so fast! Sit that Bass ass of yours down." And then with an evil glare, Blair demanded, "Now."

The look on Blair's face told Chuck there was no debating this, that her word was law (at least if he wanted to get laid later on), so he caved but he also decided to have a little fun at her expense.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Language Mrs. Bass," mocked Chuck as he gestured disapprovingly with his pointer finger. He then walked closer to the two females covered in the frightening orange substance. "You know I love that dirty little mouth of yours and all the things you can do with it, but we wouldn't want Anna's first words to be 'Bass ass' now would we?"

"Oh, just shut up and help me," snarled Blair, obviously flustered with both Chuck and Anna, who was still babbling away and playing with her food.

"Fine," he sighed. "But this is a very expensive suit and I will be not be very happy boy if I gets stains on it."

"Well, if that happens I guess I'll just have to find a way to make it up to you later," Blair said flirtatiously.

"I like the way you think Mrs. Bass," and he walked over and gave Blair a quick kiss while clearly avoiding both Anna and the mess. Then Chuck sat down on a stool a few feet safely away from the baby and asked, "Where is Dorota anyway? And why are you, of all people, babysitting?"

"Hey, I resent that," pouted Blair. "I've babysat for Anna before and everything went fine."

"That's because she was asleep the entire time and you didn't need to do anything."

"That may have been true but I am perfectly capable of taking care of Anna for an afternoon. We've been doing fine so far. Right Anna?" Blair asked the baby who smiled and then went back to looking between Blair and Chuck as they continued their conversation.

"Yeah, it sure looks like it," mocked Chuck as he glanced around the kitchen and then back to Blair and Anna. "Again, why are you babysitting?"

"Yesterday was Dorota's birthday so I booked her an afternoon at the spa. Vanya couldn't get the time off work because he took the weekend off, so I volunteered to watch Anna so that Dorota could enjoy her afternoon," explained Blair.

"Well, now it all makes sense." Then Chuck turned his attention to the baby, "Anna, have you been having a fun afternoon torturing Mrs. Blair?"

Anna replied by simply laughing and smiling at Chuck.

"Ugh, stop flirting with the little girl Chuck, she's too young for you," scoffed Blair. "Anna, come on, have another bite of your food," and she was again rejected as she tried to feed the baby her dinner.

"Blair, maybe she doesn't want to eat anymore. She doesn't seem that interested in her food."

"That's because you're distracting her," sniped Blair. "She was eating fine before you got here."

"Uh-huh. That's what it looks like."

Blair relented finally and sighed, "Dorota said that she usually eats all her dinner, and I want to make sure that Anna eats enough, that she's okay."

"Blair, Anna's fine," Chuck said reassuringly. "Just look at her, she's smiling and happy. I don't know much about babies, but Anna seems pretty healthy." He then rose from his seat and got a little bit closer to both Blair and the baby. As he did, Chuck got a whiff of something in the air. "Uhm, Blair, what's that smell?"

"Probably a mixture of sweet potatoes and spit up."

"I don't think so," replied Chuck as he braved closer to Anna to be sure. "I think someone probably needs her diaper changed."

"No, you're wrong. I just changed her about," and Blair quickly glanced at the clock, "about an hour ago. I doubt she needs to be changed again."

"Blair, you might need to rethink that," and Chuck moved away from Anna to avoid the obnoxious odor. "Hey, maybe she's not happy that her diaper is full of shit and that's why she's not eating."

"Chuck, what did I say about that kind of language?" Blair then put aside Anna's food and she went to pick the baby up from her highchair to prove Chuck wrong. As soon as she lifted the baby, she knew Chuck was right and she groaned internally for two reasons. One because she would have to admit that Chuck was indeed right and she was wrong, and two because of what Chuck being right meant she was going to have to do. This was the one thing she dreaded when she agreed to watch Anna for the afternoon – dealing with a messy, dirty diaper.

"Fine, you were right," conceded Blair, at which a huge grin spread across Chuck's face.

"Of course I am. So, what do I get as my prize?"

"God you're such an arrogant Basshole," lamented Blair but then she got an idea. "As for your prize, you get to change Anna's diaper," and she made like she was going to hand Anna over to Chuck.

The smile Chuck was sporting quickly left his face and was immediately replaced by a look of absolute fear. He took a step backwards so that he was out of reach and Blair suddenly started laughing. "As if I would ever trust you to change her diaper. You would probably phone Arthur and make him do it."

"Ha ha Mrs. Bass. Very funny," replied Chuck in a tone that indicated he did not find the situation funny at all, but Blair just continued to laugh at him.

"Oh come on Bass, you have to admit that was pretty funny. If only you'd seen your face. Now quit sulking and help me tidy this little princess up." Blair then gave Anna a quick little kiss on the cheek and gestured for Chuck to follow her upstairs.

XOXO

Thirty minutes later, Chuck was sitting on the sofa and watching Blair as she tried to engage Anna with a book. Together the two of them had managed to safely change Anna's diaper and outfit with minimal damage to themselves, although it probably took them twice as long, if not longer, than it would one skilled person to do the job. Of course Blair was forced to do most of the dirty work while Chuck acted like a surgical nurse, handing Blair specific supplies when she called for them ("wipes" and "diaper" and "socks"). He did cringe when Blair passed him the messy diaper, but he quickly and carefully disposed of the rancid object in the diaper bin without causing any disasters unto himself.

"Chuuuckkk," sung Blair in a tone that he knew meant she wanted something from him. "Do you think I can trust you with Anna for five minutes while I run upstairs to tidy up? I need to get these disgusting clothes off of me, as well as do something my hair."

Chuck looked down at Anna sitting on the floor peacefully, back up at Blair who was a complete mess, again down at Anna who was still occupying herself on the floor, and finally back up at Blair. He quietly considered what she was asking of him. Anna seemed to be entertaining herself, chewing on the book that Blair had been trying to read to her. He figured that he could watch her for a few minutes, he wasn't that incompetent. Plus, it would be tell him if fatherhood was for him or not.

"Sure. I think Anna and I can manage down here just fine." He noticed the skeptical look on Blair's face, so he added, "as long as you don't take more than five minutes."

"You sure?" questioned Blair.

Chuck smirked, "Blair, you know there is only one way to answer that question. Come here," and he signaled for her to come closer with his finger. She complied and as she did, he closed the distance between them and brought her into a kiss. Chuck's hands found Blair's waist and he deepened the kiss.

After a minute or so, Blair broke away and whispered, "Thank you." She then kissed Chuck again and repeated the sentiment except this time she added, "I promise not to take too long. Five minutes."

"And if you take longer than five minutes, do I get to punish you?" teased Chuck as he brought Blair in for yet another kiss.

"Severely," Blair purred into Chuck's ear as she burrowed her face into his neck.

"Grrr," growled Chuck and he grabbed Blair's ass to pull her closer as she started leaving a trail of kisses down his neck. He then cupped her face in his hands and sighed, "God, I love you woman," before bringing his lips to hers for another deep kiss. After a few seconds, Blair broke off the kiss, rose, and turned towards the stairs. Just as she was about to move, Chuck slapped her ass and said, "Now go get changed woman."

In retaliation for his boorish behavior, Blair made sure she added a bit more sway to her walk as she made her way upstairs.

XOXO

As Blair climbed up the stairs, both Chuck's and Anna's eyes followed her, but as soon as she disappeared from sight, Anna turned to stare at Chuck. Once Chuck made eye contact with the baby, the little one started to giggle and tossed the book aside. She reached for Chuck and when he didn't pick her up she started to fuss. A frazzled Chuck looked around the room for something to calm the child, but couldn't think of what to do. When he realized that she still had her arms out to him, he cautiously tried to pick up the baby. Carefully, Chuck lifted the baby into his arms and tried to remember how Blair had held Anna. In mid-air, Anna stopped fussing but started kicking her legs, getting Chuck a couple of times in the mid-section. In an effort to soothe her, Chuck walked around the room for a minute or so until she was smiling again. Feeling completely uncomfortable with the child in his arms, Chuck gently set Anna on the ground and decided that he would join her, in hopes that it would pacify the baby. Chuck removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, and then he inched his way down to the floor. Anna watched him the entire time. The moment Chuck's butt touched the ground, Anna squealed, turned, and started crawling away from him.

"Oh, shit," cursed Chuck. "Come back here Anna."

The baby looked at Chuck and blatantly ignored him, continuing on her merry way. As she approached the kitchen, Chuck got to his feet and picked up the child before she entered it, knowing that Blair would kill him if anything happened to the baby on his watch. He brought her back to the sitting room and again, sat on the floor with her. In an effort to keep her engaged, Chuck picked up one of Anna's toys and started to play with it.

"Look Anna, a fish," and he wagged the stuffed animal in front of Anna's face. The little girl quickly reached for the fish and immediately put its tail in her mouth. Relieved to have settled the child, Chuck leaned back against the sofa and began to relax. However, this was short-lived, as the active baby was on the move again within seconds. This time she started in the direction of the elevator, but before she could reach it, Chuck had scooped her up and returned her to the center of the room.

Beyond frustrated, Chuck turned to bribery to try to keep the child still. "Anna, if you're good and sit still, I will pay for your entire college education." Her response was to simply laugh in his face before taking off again. Realizing that he was fighting a losing battle, Chuck gave up and decided he would just follow Anna's lead.

And that is how Blair found Chuck crawling on the floor of her penthouse, trailing a nine-month old baby around the room.

XOXO

Enjoying the show, Blair sat quietly at the top of the stairs hoping to remain undetected. It was fun for her to see this side of Chuck - he was chasing after Anna, playing with stuffed animals, making silly noises - basically acting like a little kid. She would be lying if she said this didn't make her think about their future. She always knew that she wanted to have children, and while they hadn't really discussed it, she knew from his passing comments that Chuck envisioned children in their future too. Watching Chuck with Anna, Blair couldn't help but feel excited for the day when they had a baby of their own, knowing that Chuck would welcome fatherhood in a way that no one would ever expect him too, except for maybe her. The thought brought a smile to her face, which she immediately tried to force away because her brain was telling her they were still entirely too young for a baby. But she was content knowing that once college was finished, their relationship was public, and they were both settling into their respective careers, that parenthood would be on their horizon and that the idea wasn't daunting to her at all.

After a couple of minutes of enjoying the show that Anna and Chuck were putting on, Blair decided it was time to stop daydreaming and put Chuck out of his misery. Blair's feet hit the bottom step just as Anna made her way under the side table with Chuck right behind her. Nervous that the child might hurt herself on the sharp corners of the table, Blair called out, "Anna, be careful."

What happened next seemed to occur in slow motion. Little Anna, alarmed by Blair's sudden appearance, promptly stopped and turned to sit. Chuck, whose head was barely underneath the side table, quickly jerked his head to see Blair. On the way up, Chuck's head collided with the corner of the table.

"Fuckkkk," Chuck yelled and he immediately brought his hand to the spot he hit while he continued to scream expletives.

Within seconds, blood started to appear on his hand. Seeing this, Blair quickly checked to see that Anna was fine and then she darted to Chuck's side.

"Oh my god, Chuck, you're bleeding. Does it hurt?"

"Shit!" swore Chuck as he looked at his blood-covered hand. "Of course it fucking hurts Blair. Why do you think I'm sitting here swearing at the top of lungs?" Chuck then took a couple of deep breaths to collect himself and asked, "How bad is it?"

Blair carefully looked at Chuck's head and almost gagged. It wasn't just a flesh wound, it looked like a pretty significant gash in his head and there was a lot of blood. "Um, Chuck, I think we should get you to the emergency room. It looks like you might need stitches."

"Seriously?" cried Chuck. "God damn it, this hurts sooo much. Ooouch!"

Trying to remain calm and fighting back tears, Blair stood up. She needed to get control of herself and this situation. After taking a cleansing breath, she pulled herself together and took action, "Just sit still. I'm going to get you a towel and phone Arthur to bring us to the hospital." Picking up Anna with shaking hands, Blair quickly went to the bathroom, leaving Chuck on the floor cursing and clutching his head.

XOXO

Less than ten minutes later, Arthur was securing Anna in her carseat in the back of the limo, while Blair guided Chuck into the car. The bleeding had seemed to lessen, but there was still blood oozing from the wound. For the most part, Chuck's grumbling of profanities had died down, but he was obviously still in pain. Blair, in an effort to feel like she was helping, was barking orders at Arthur. Needless to say, he ignored her directions to Lenox Hill.

Upon arriving at the emergency room, Blair scooped up Anna her arms while Arthur went to get someone from the hospital staff to bring a wheelchair out to the limo to help bring Chuck inside. Chuck, insisting that he didn't need a wheelchair, slowly made his way out of the backseat. Using Blair as a support, Chuck made his way inside the emergency room and to the front desk. The attendant handed Blair a clipboard to fill out and said that someone would be with them momentarily. While balancing Anna on one knee, Blair and Chuck together filled out the patient admittance form, as well as Chuck's insurance information.

After waiting for only five minutes, Blair became frustrated that no one had come to see about Chuck's injury, so she stormed up to the desk with Anna in tow.

"Excuse me," Blair bit out to get the woman's attention. "Why has no one come to check on my husband?"

"Ma'am, we are working as fast as we can. Now if you will please take your seat, I'm sure someone will tend to your husband soon."

"I'm sorry but that is unacceptable. Do you have any idea who my husband is? Who I am?"

Rolling her eyes, the woman behind the desk replied, "No I don't. But it doesn't matter who you are, you need to wait just like everyone else."

"Uhm, I don't think so," Blair said condescendingly as she shifted Anna from one hip to the other. She then got closer to the desk and so that she could lecture the woman behind it. "My name is Blair Bass and my husband is Charles Bass. As in Bass Industries. I wouldn't be surprised if there is a wing of this hospital with our name on it." Blair took a moment to glance at the woman's name badge before continuing. "If a doctor does not come out and treat my husband before I count to ten, I can guarantee you, Wendy Pratt, that I will make your life a living hell and we, Mr. and Mrs. Bass, will sue this hospital for negligence. And if the doctor does come out before I count to ten, then maybe we can talk about building another wing for this hospital."

Wendy was clearly shaken by Blair's words and looked to the person on her left for support as she heard Blair begin her countdown starting at 'One'. This person simply shrugged her shoulders as if she had no idea what Wendy should do. Blair stood there tapping her shoes to let her annoyance be known while she continued to count out loud. As Blair reached the number eight, Wendy slowly began to push her chair back when all of sudden a nurse entered the waiting area and called, "Charles Bass, if you will follow me."

Blair immediately turned to Chuck and saw him looking right at her. She was just about to go and help him, but not before she sniped, "You are one very lucky lady Wendy." And with that, Chuck and Blair, with Anna still in her arms, followed the nurse into the exam room.

XOXO

Once in the private exam room, the nurse quickly glanced at Chuck's wound. "Well, it looks like you are going to need stitches. Now are you hurt anywhere else?"

"Other than my head, no," answered Chuck.

"Well, that's good," and the nurse handed Chuck a coldpack. "Put this on your head. It will help with the pain and swelling. Now, let's just go over your patient records before I get the doctor in here to take care of your head. Okay?"

"Sure," replied Chuck.

At the same time Blair asked, "This isn't going to take long, is it? His head is still bleeding."

"No, just a couple of questions. Your full name is Charles Bartholomew Bass and your date of birth is May, 19th, 1991?"

"Yes."

"I see your insurance information hasn't changed, correct?"

To this question Chuck simply nodded.

"Now it says here that Lillian Bass is your emergency contact person, is that still the case?"

"Uhm, no," Blair piped in. "That would be me. His wife. Blair Bass. Well, technically Blair Waldorf-Bass."

The nurse then looked to Chuck to see if he corroborated Blair's words, because she noticed that neither one of them were wearing wedding rings.

"Yeah, that should be changed from Lily to Blair."

"Alright. Can you please give me your information then?" Blair then gave the nurse her contact information.

"Finally, last question. Have there been any major changes to your overall health since you last saw a doctor that are not in your records?"

"Why is that important?" inquired Blair. "We're here about a cut on Chuck's head."

"It is important for us to have a complete medical history. Sometimes things can indirectly impact the course of treatment and we want to ensure that Mr. Bass has the best care possible."

"Okay," Blair said defeatedly.

Chuck reached to the side and grabbed Blair's free hand, giving it a firm squeeze. "It's fine, Blair. No big deal. We've got nothing to hide."

Blair's response was to shut her eyes and shake her head up and down, while biting her lip.

"Last May I was shot," Chuck said.

Suddenly, Blair let go of Chuck's hand and stood from her seat with Anna. "I think I am going to see if Arthur is back with Dorota by now. Is it okay to go out to the waiting room and them come back in here?" The question was directed at the nurse.

"Sure," the nurse countered. "We are just about done with this and Dr. Franks will be in shortly."

"Thank you," Blair responded to the nurse. Then she kissed Chuck on the cheek and whispered, "I'll be back in a couple minutes."

After Blair left the room, the nurse asked Chuck about his gunshot.

"No, I didn't go to the hospital or have any real medical treatment. Someone found me and nursed me back to health. Honestly, I was a bit out of it, so I don't really know what she did, but there is a scar where she stitched me up."

"Wow, that's kind of unbelievable," the nurse retorted. "Seriously, some Good Samaritan found you and took care of you all by herself, with no professional help? And you still haven't seen a doctor about your gunshot?"

"No, I haven't. It was months ago and I feel fine now. I guess it would have come up during my yearly physical."

"Yeah, that might be something you want to talk to you primary care physician about. Getting shot is extremely serious Mr. Bass – you are very lucky to be here today."

"Believe me, I know," agreed Chuck, thinking of Blair. "In more ways that you could ever know."

"Alright, if there are no other changes to your health, then I think we are done here and I'll tell Dr. Franks to come in." And with that the nurse left Chuck alone in the exam room with an icepack on his head.

XOXO

As soon as Blair stepped into the waiting area, Dorota made a beeline for her. Anna immediately zoned in on her mother and put her arms out as a big grin took over her face. The loyal maid quickly took Anna from Blair's arms and cuddled her little girl. She then maneuvered Anna to her hip and enveloped Blair in a hug with her free arm. Blair just sank into Dorota. She needed this. The stress of the past hour was taking its toll on Blair and she simply needed the comfort of Dorota's embrace. She stayed there for a couple of minutes until she was brought back to reality by Anna's babbling.

"Mister Chuck okay?" asked Dorota.

Blair quickly pulled herself together. She took a deep breath, wiped at her eyes, and nodded. When she look up she saw that not only was Dorota there, but so was a very concerned looking Arthur.

"So Mister Bass is going to be fine?" probed Arthur. "Is there anything that I can do to help?"

"Besides getting stitches, it looks like Chuck is going to be fine." Blair then turned to Arthur and proceeded, "And yes, you can do me a favor Arthur. Please drive Dorota and Anna home. Our little princess here has had a long day and she probably should go to bed."

Blair's words were met by a chorus of "No's" from both Dorota and Arthur, with Dorota arguing that she could stay and have Vanya pick up Anna and Arthur wanting to be there to help Mister Bass.

"Please, I insist," asserted Blair. "We are probably going to be a while – I mean the doctor hasn't even been in to see Chuck yet. Arthur, it would really settle my mind, as well as Chuck's I'm sure, to know that Anna and Dorota made it safely home. Now, please, drive these two to Queens and after you drop them off you can come back here to pick us up. And if for some reason we are ready to leave before you return, I will simply call for my car service and you will be able to go to your own home. Okay?"

Dorota and Arthur reluctantly complied with Blair's wishes. After watching them walk through the emergency room doors, Blair turned and made the journey back to Chuck's exam room.

XOXO

Blair lightly knocked on the door to Chuck's room while at the same time cautiously pushing it open and peaking her head in. Seeing that Chuck was alone, she then made her way into the room.

"Has the doctor been in yet?" she asked.

"No, not yet. The nurse just left a couple of minutes ago. But she _assured_ me that he would be in soon." He emphasized this so that Blair would remain calm and not go nuclear on the staff.

"Good."

"Come here," and Chuck reached out for Blair with one hand while keeping the icepack on his head with the other. He brought her close to him and kissed her soundly. "Now try to relax and keep me company. Its boring just waiting here all by myself."

Blair burrowed into Chuck's body, wrapped her arms around him, and inhaled his scent. She instantly felt the layers of stress fall from her body. "I'm sorry I'm such a basketcase. I just want you to be okay and I feel completely helpless."

"Hey, look at me," and he gently guided her face up so he could see her eyes. "I am going to be fine. Just a couple stitches. It takes more than a nine-month old baby to take down Chuck Bass." This comment garnered a chuckle out of both of them and eased the tension in the room.

"I don't know Bass. From what I saw, it looked like Anna had your number. Who knows what would have happened if I hadn't intervened," teased Blair.

"Hey," replied Chuck, acting offended by Blair's comments even though he couldn't hold back his smile. Before he could say anything else, Blair cut him off with a kiss.

This is precisely how Dr. Franks found them when he walked into the room. Since they obviously didn't hear him enter, he cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. As Chuck and Blair broke apart, Blair turned beet red from embarrassment which just made Chuck laugh a little more, well as much as he could given the pain he was in.

"So, it is my understanding that you cut your head. What exactly happened?"

"Uhm, well," Chuck stuttered over his words, trying to figure out how to tell the doctor what happened without too much humiliation to himself. When he couldn't think of anything, he just decided to go with the truth. "I was chasing baby Anna around on the floor and hit my head on the corner of the sidetable."

"Oh, I see. Don't worry – it's a classic first-time parents' injury. We see them in here all the time."

"No, no, no. It's not like that," Chuck interjected, about to inform the doctor that they weren't parents, just babysitting, but Dr. Franks quickly interrupted him.

"Believe me, I understand. See this scar," and he pointed to a tiny scar above his eyebrow. "I fell climbing over one of the gates in my house that we put up to keep our first-born out of the kitchen. And I have plenty more battle wounds I could show you, but how about we get you patched up and home to your little girl."

After sharing a glance with Blair, who simply shrugged and smiled bashfully at the misunderstanding, Chuck decided it wasn't worth correcting the doctor. He just answered Dr. Franks, "Yeah, that would be great. I really want to get home."

XOXO

Half an hour later, Chuck was released the hospital with eight stitches right at his hairline. Dr. Franks had checked Chuck for a concussion and concluded that he didn't have one, but he still advised Blair to keep a close eye on Chuck for the next 48 hours. When they exited the emergency room hand-in-hand, Arthur jumped from driver's seat of the limo to open the door for them. Chuck and Blair slid into the seat and said a brief 'thank you' to Arthur as he closed the door on them.

In the back of the limo, Chuck sank in to the seat, relaxed with his head against the back of it, and shut his eyes. But he continued his firm hold on Blair's hand while she stared out the window. It had been an exhausting few hours for the both of them and they were both extremely tired from the ordeal. On their way home, Blair made a brief stop Waldorf penthouse so she could pick up a few things she needed for her classes and internship since she would be staying with Chuck for the next couple of days.

When Blair returned to the limo, Chuck rolled his head to face her. He noticed that she assumed the same position of staring out the window and appeared somewhat sad.

"Hey, what's going on in that pretty head of yours Mrs. Bass?"

"Nothing," sighed Blair. "It's just been a really long day."

"Come on Blair. I know it's not nothing. You heard Dr. Franks, I'm fine."

"I know, but I am allowed to worry about you."

"Of course you are. But there is something else bothering you. I may have hit my head, but that doesn't mean I have amnesia. I know you Blair." Suddenly Chuck had a thought, "Are you worried that people are going to find out about us?"

"Honestly, I hadn't even thought about that. But _great_," groaned Blair as she lowered her face into her hands and shook her head from side-to-side. Speaking into her hands Blair whined, "I practically yelled in the waiting area that I am your wife – that I'm Mrs. Bass. Anyone could have heard."

"Hey," Chuck said as he took Blair's hand in his. "It was the hospital emergency room. I'm sure everyone there was too preoccupied with their own problems to pay attention to what you were saying."

Blair turned to face Chuck, and he could see that she was waiting for him to say more. She needed his reassurement that everything was going to be okay.

"Listen, it's highly unlikely that anyone heard you or recognized us. I didn't exactly look like myself covered in blood with a towel on my head and people don't really think of you with a baby, so we're probably fine. But, if for some reason, our marriage got leaked to the press or worse, Gossip Girl, then we would find a way to deal with it. Together," Chuck stressed the word together.

Then he continued cautiously, voicing a thought he's been having a lot lately. "Besides, it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if people found out about us, would it?"

"No, of course it wouldn't," Blair immediately answered. With a slight giggle, she continued, "But I do think my mother would absolutely kill me if she found out in the papers."

"If not you, then me," Chuck chimed in with his characteristic smirk.

Blair then grasped his hand a little bit tighter and became more serious. "Maybe this is selfish, but I kind of like that this is our secret. It's something that you and I share, something that is special to both of us, something that no one can take away from us. And frankly, I don't want to hear everyone's opinion about _our_ relationship."

"Oh, I understand and I completely agree with you Mrs. Bass," and he pulled Blair in closer for a kiss. Chuck put his arm around Blair's shoulder and she shifted her body next to his.

"Feeling better?" and he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"A little bit," mumbled Blair as she nodded against Chuck.

"So, are you ever going to tell me what was bothering you earlier?"

"Do I have to?" pleaded Blair and she started fidgeting with her hands.

"Blair," sighed Chuck and he stopped her hands with his own. "Its just you and me here. No secrets."

"Eva," she blurted out quickly and she looked down to shield her face from Chuck's eyes.

"Eva?" Chuck asked, clearly flummoxed by the mention of her name. "Why are you thinking about her?"

After grunting loudly, Blair finally let loose. "I don't know if I want to hug her or slap her. I mean, without her who knows what would have happened to you – if you'd even be alive," she shuttered as she said that. "But on the other hand, what kind of person doesn't bring someone who's been shot to the hospital? You could have died because of that French floozy's decision and it infuriates me."

"Blairrrr," Chuck drawled, trying to calm her down by rubbing her shoulder with his hand. Eva was such a sore topic for the two of them, so much so that they rarely spoke about her or the shooting at all.

"GOD!" Blair cut Chuck off with her tirade before he could say anything more. "I rushed you to the emergency room with a tiny cut to your head because I didn't know what else to do, but that Little Nurse Nighting-whore finds you with a gunshot wound and manages to bring you to her place and stitch you up herself. I will never understand her logic."

"Blair, the important thing is that I'm fine."

"Yes, but how did she know you were going to be?" Blair disputed. "Huh?" When Chuck didn't answer and just sat there silently, Blair smugly carried on, "See, you can't answer because she didn't. She took a chance on your life, one that I am not willing to take. I should have let her have it wh…"

Chuck interrupted Blair by soundly kissing her on the lips. She was getting herself worked up and he wasn't really in the mood for 'The Bitch' to make an appearance. He needed a simple, quiet night and he knew if she persisted it would be anything but that. Blair tried to pull back, so Chuck brought her in closer and deepened the kiss. Finally, Blair relented and reciprocated the action.

After making out for a little while longer, Chuck broke off the kiss and said, "Blair, I don't know why Eva did what she did, and I am beyond grateful to her for saving my life, but it's in the past. She's in the past. You," and he paused to kiss her again, "are my past, my present, and my future. You are my always."

"But," Blair argued.

"No buts Blair," Chuck interjected. "She's in the past so let's leave her there." When he saw Blair make a face like she was about to counter his remark, he held up his finger to her lips to silence her. "At least for now. I am not in any shape to have this conversation tonight. Please," he implored her.

Blair looked at Chuck, really looked at him, and realized he was right. He had been through hell today and appeared exhausted. So she relented, shook her head to let him know, and curled her body into his. Besides, he was right. Eva was in the past and there was no way in hell that Blair was going to allow her to be part of _their_ future.

XOXO

Later that night, after washing up and having a late dinner, Chuck and Blair climbed into bed. They both sighed in relief as their heads hit their pillows. Within seconds, they turned to face each other and Blair reached out to trace Chuck's battlescar gently with her finger. Chuck shut his eyes and relished the feeling.

"Does it still hurt?" she whispered, concern evident in her voice.

"Only a little," he muttered back as he wrapped his arm and leg over Blair's body.

"You know, before you hit your head, I was watching you with Anna." Blair then moved her body a bit closer to Chuck and snuggled into him.

"I always knew you liked to watch," he taunted.

"Chuck," gasped Blair as she swatted his arm.

"Ouch! Are you trying to send me back to the hospital?" Chuck joked. The horrified look on Blair's face vanished when she realized he was just kidding and she pulled away, pretending to be upset. "Hey, hey, hey - you're not going anywhere Mrs. Bass."

Blair's mock protest only lasted a couple of seconds, and she laughed along with Chuck before kissing him and saying, "Don't worry, I don't plan on going anywhere Mr. Bass."

"Promise?" Chuck asked, hopeful.

"I promise," and Blair gave Chuck another comforting kiss that soon escalated to a hot and heavy make-out session.

"Mmm," purred Blair as she stopped to catch her breath. "Are you still feeling okay? You didn't overdo it, did you? The doctor said not to overexert yourself for a few days."

"I'm fine _Mom_," he said sarcastically.

"_Pfff_," Blair scoffed. "Do not call me that! I AM NOT maternal."

"Please," countered Chuck as he pulled her close again. "You can deny it to everyone else, but you and I both know that you can be extremely maternal at times. Today," and he playfully tapped the end of her nose with his finger, "is the perfect example of that."

"Fine. You're right, as always," conceded Blair, rubbing her foot up and down his leg. "But don't tell anyone." She then kissed him again, which he happily returned. Blair broke apart suddenly to tease Chuck, "Hey, you're one to talk mister. I saw you with Anna today – you were playing with toys and crawling on the floor AND you liked it. I saw the smile on your face."

Chuck raised his hands in mock defeat, "OK, you got me. Watching Anna wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. You might even say that," he paused and moved in as close as he could get to whisper, "I enjoyed it."

"I knew it!" exclaimed Blair, excited that she was right about Chuck. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!"

Continuing with their playful banter, Chuck then said, "Yes, but that will have to be our little secret. I have a reputation to protect."

Rolling her eyes, Blair replied mockingly, "Of course, how could I forget. _You're Chuck Bass_." This comment garnered a real laugh out of Chuck and Blair joined him not long after.

Soon, both Chuck and Blair were having a hard time keeping their eyes open. With her body cloaked by Chuck's arms, Blair softly admitted, "You're going to be a really good daddy someday Chuck."

Instead of flinching like Blair thought he might, Chuck actually tightened his hold on her before he confessed, "I really hope so. I didn't exactly have the best role model growing up. But I know you will be the best mother our child could ask for, so I'll just follow your lead."

"Wow," a sense of disbelief overcame Blair. "I can't believe we're talking about having children."

"Of course we'll have children." Chuck then amended his thought, "Someday."

"Yeah, someday," Blair said sleepily as she closed her eyes.

Both of their breathing leveled out as they lay side-by-side in bed. A few minutes passed before Chuck interrupted their silence. "Blair, are you asleep?"

"Almost, why?" she murmured without opening her eyes.

"You brought your pills with you, right?"

"Yes I brought my pills with me, and yes I took my pill this morning. Don't worry – just go to sleep."

"Oh, that's good," yawned Chuck. "I was just checking."

About a minute or so later, Chuck interrupted their silence again, "Blair?"

"Yeah?" Blair murmured sleepily.

"I love you."

"And I love you too. Now shut up and go to sleep."

A/N: First and foremost, a big shout out to all of you who read my last chapter and especially to those of you who took the time to review! Reviews make me smile. So thank you to: Dr. Holland, Kathrynm37, Krazy4Spike, ggreviewer, Kels, Trosev, 88Mary88, Stephycats7785 (who was so awesome to review every chapter!), amxoxo, TriGemini, DeDe, ellibells, Added, SaNaa.91, and ErinSmith20.

Now, I need to thank my amazing beta Dr. Holland for taking the time to read through this chapter and make it better, and for also convincing me to actually post and not just delete the entire chapter. I also need to thank K for assuring me that the extremely rich still have insurance, as well as Maryl for the fitting description 'Little Nurse Nighting-whore' for someone who will remain nameless.


	11. Chapter 10

Hello everyone – I'm back! I know it's been a long time since I've updated this story, but I've been distracted writing other stories, as well as real-life. I will say that everyone has been so supportive with your continued reviews, favorites, and hits for this fic, even though at times it may look like I've abandoned it. I assure you that I haven't. I need to send a special shout-out to Moozanna whose pestering made me sit down and work on this chapter.

I hope everyone is still with me – I promise not to take so long in between updates in the future. Now that GG is over and Chuck & Blair are happily married (with little Henry!), I'm hoping that inspiration will come flooding back.

As always, I don't own anything.

* * *

Chapter 10

"Finally!" huffed Serena as she plopped down into a seat and tossed her bag into an empty chair.

The cafe was conveniently located a couple blocks from the Columbia campus, so it was close enough for a break between classes but at the same time it was also a bit of a recluse. The café was quiet right now, as it was after the morning rush and before the lunchtime crowd. And that was exactly how Blair liked it when she had work to do.

"_Blair_?!" Serena called again when Blair did nothing to acknowledge her presence.

Blair briefly looked up from her books, "Oh, hi Serena." Then she turned her face back into the open book in front of her and continued taking notes.

Blair had taken over the corner table. She had two books open, a notepad, and her laptop. And she had a fresh cappuccino with a half-eaten chocolate croissant.

It was now February and Blair could see her deadlines approaching. Midterms were in the beginning of March and she also had two huge papers due around the same time. Not to mention the amount of time she was devoting to her internship at Sotheby's. So she decided to use her spare time she had now to get ahead. And that is why she was currently hiding away from the world in this tiny café of all places.

"Blair," and Serena cleared her throat to try and get her best friend's attention.

"What is it Serena?" an annoyed Blair asked as she set down her pen and crossed her arms. "Can't you see I'm in the middle of something here?"

"Come on Blair," Serena sighed. Then she reached across the table and clasped Blair's hand. "Just talk to me. I'm your best friend. You know you can tell me anything."

"Serena, I don't know what you are talking about but I'm fine."

Serena was certain that her best friend was lying. That she was in denial mode. She knew that deep down, Blair must be upset, maybe even heartbroken. And she was determined to be there for Blair, so she pushed forward.

"Blair, I know you must have seen the blast."

"Like I already said, I don't know what you're talking about. I forgot my phone so I haven't gotten any blasts."

Blair was telling the truth. She had overslept that morning and in her mad rush to leave her and Chuck's apartment undetected, she left her phone behind. And now she felt like she was missing a part of herself. She felt lost without her phone. She contemplated going back there to retrieve it after her 8 o'clock class finished, but she didn't really have enough time. Luckily, Chuck spotted her phone at her vanity and emailed her that he would bring it to campus when he came for his class. They usually met up for lunch on the days he came to campus, often joined by Nate of course, so she would just need to wait a few hours until she had her precious phone back safely in her possession.

"Oh," regret suddenly filled Serena's voice as she slid her phone in Blair's direction.

"God, S, just give me your phone," as she snatched Serena's phone from her hand to read the blast. Quickly, Blair raised the screen so that she could read the words of the wretched blogger.

**Mark it on your calendars UESers, because this is a unique event. I'm saying something I don't often say. No, not that Nate Archibald has the hottest arms in Manhattan (because yes, he does). No, I'm saying... I was wrong. Sit down if you have to – I know it's a bit of a shock.**

**While being premature has never been an issue for me, it's seems I'm going to need a pill for blowing my gossip wad too early. My sources tell me (thanks doormatt123) that our previously reported, **_**rumored**_** groom, received a late night booty call. And from what I hear she looked more like a fiery Librarian than our icy Queen B. I guess our Dark Knight needed the whole night with the sexy redheaded vixen, because nobody saw her leave. Sorry B, but at least without a wedding there's no need to return all the toasters. Better luck next time. You know you love me. XOXO Gossip Girl.**

Blair just sat there staring at Serena's phone. She had to rein in her emotions, make sure her mask was firmly in place because she had a feeling that not only was Serena watching her closely, but so were some of the other people in the café. She couldn't give anything away. So Blair took a deep breath and released it slowly as she handed the phone back to Serena.

"What do you want me to say?" Blair challenged her best friend. "I've been telling you for weeks that Chuck and I are not together. Do you believe me now?"

"I know you have. But come on Blair, you stayed at his penthouse for a week. And after St. Bart's I figured it was only a matter of time."

"Well, obviously that time hasn't happened yet. And you know that I was only staying with Chuck because his doctor recommended it after he hit his head."

"Still…"

"Serena, let it go. _Please_."

"Blair, it's okay to be upset. Even if you two aren't officially together, knowing that Chuck is hooking up with random girls again has got to hurt."

Blair just shrugged her shoulders and answered, "Chuck is just being Chuck. I can't fault him for that."

"Oh, Blair," sighed a sympathetic Serena. She knew that Blair was putting on a show and that she was holding back her emotions.

"Serena, really, I'm okay," she shook off her best friend's hand and passed her own through her hair as she corrected her posture. "And I'll be even better when you let me get back to my work."

"Fine," and Serena gathered her belongings as she stood to leave. "But you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

"Of course. Now don't worry about me, I'm fine," and she hugged Serena before she left the café.

Once Serena walked out the door, Blair was able to relax back in her seat. While she hated lying to Serena, there was a part of her relished being an actress, seeing if she could pull it off. And it appears she did.

Blair then quickly glanced around the café and to see if any eyes were on her. When she felt confident that no one was watching here, she dropped her mask and let her smile take over.

Sexy redheaded vixen.

Blair's smile grew because she could live with being called a name like that. But what made her particularly happy was that she and Chuck had effectively pulled one over on Gossip Girl. A big one! Ever since Gossip Girl released her blast a few days after Chuck's trip to the emergency room, they had been especially cautious about when they were seen together. In fact, Blair had taken to wearing disguises when she went to their penthouse, hence the redheaded wig. Still, she didn't mind all that much because it resulted in some very fun role-playing experiences.

* * *

_The previous evening…._

Blair hit save on the computer and gathered her belongings from her desk at Sotheby's. It was approaching 8 o'clock and she was the last of the interns remaining. After checking to make sure she was truly alone in their shared office suite, she closed the door and locked it. She then took out her overnight bag from her bottom drawer and began to get into character.

The first things to go were her Brian Atwood heels. Next she shimmied out of her tweed Giambattista Valli dress and quickly removed her patterned tights. Blair then retrieved her new outfit from her bag.

She carefully guided the black sheer thigh-highs into position, making sure that the back seam was perfectly aligned. She slipped on the fitted Burberry London leather pencil skirt and paired it with a slightly see-through (enough to see her black satin push-up bra underneath) silk Armani button-down blouse with pleats in the front, which Blair made sure was buttoned all the way to the top. Sitting down, Blair eased her feet into the red d'Orsay Manolos and tapped her toes playfully on the ground to get into the mood. Last but not least was her hair. Blair cemented her new look with red haired wig. (In all her disguises, Blair refused to ever wear a blonde wig. Too much history there.) Her hair was styled into a low bun with fringe, and she made sure the bun was held in place by a pencil. After a final touch-up to her make-up, which included painting her lips a bold red color, Blair put on a pair of black-framed glasses to complete the ensemble. Finally, Blair draped herself in an oversized cashmere wrap and exited the office with a new confidence, certain that no one would recognize her.

When Blair settled into the backseat of the cab, she pulled out her phone and texted Chuck.

'_On my way. I hope I don't find you working in the library.'_

Soon, the taxi pulled up in front of the Basses' building and Blair jumped out, eager to see her husband. She strutted across the lobby towards the elevator only to be intercepted by the doorman, who Blair noted was new.

"Excuse me ma'am. May I ask where you are going?"

"To see Mr. Bass," Blair said with her best fake Southern accent. She then batted her lashes at the doorman, "He's expecting me."

"And your name is?" he persisted.

"Mary."

"Mary who?"

"Just Mary," Blair responded. She was enjoying keeping up the ruse. "And you are?"

"I'm Bruce," the doorman choked out as he watched Blair, aka Mary, remove her cape, revealing her incredibly sexy outfit that showcased her best assets. When he finally regained his composure, Bruce continued, "Now you won't mind waiting a moment while I confirm with Mr. Bass."

"Of course not." Blair took a seat on the bench and seductively crossed her legs. She was having so much fun. Then she added, "Be sure to tell Mr. Bass that it's Mary from Library Services. He'll know what that means."

Bruce's cheeks suddenly became bright red as he quietly phoned Mr. Bass. He had heard enough of the man's reputation to know that this way probably a high-class prostitute, but he needed to make sure that Mr. Bass was expecting her. This was his first week on the job and he didn't want to start off on the wrong foot.

Once Bruce hung up the phone, he turned to Blair. "Come this way Mary," and he signaled to the second set of elevator doors. "Mr. Bass is waiting for you."

Blair followed Bruce towards the mirrored doors and watched as the doorman used his master keycard to call the elevator. When it arrived, he selected the 'P3' button and left Blair alone to ride up to the Bass penthouse. Blair got the feeling that she was making him just a tad uncomfortable and that's why he didn't ride up with her. The thought made her laugh - she loved playing this game.

As soon as Blair felt the steel box begin moving upwards, she worked quickly to make one last adjustment for Chuck as a surprise. She knew the cameras were on, so she had to be very discrete. But this was a skill that she had perfected numerous times in the past, so she knew she could pull it off. Still, she felt better knowing that Chuck had an iron-clad agreement with the building's security team which forbid them from releasing any images obtained from the videos, just in case she slipped.

The elevator chimed as the doors opened, signaling Blair's arrival in the penthouse.

"_Blairrr_," Chuck called out from his seat in the library where he was waiting patiently for his wife.

He didn't hear her say anything in response but he did hear the distinctive sound of high heels that was getting louder as they approached the room clad with books. So he decided to try another tactic.

"Mary? Is that you?"

At that moment, Blair appeared in the doorway and Chuck's jaw dropped to the floor. Her heels and sheer hosiery accentuated the shape of her legs. Her fitted leather pencil skirt hugged her curves in all the right places. Her blouse was just sheer enough to let Chuck know what she was wearing underneath without revealing a bit of skin. Her blood red lips reminded him of all the things her wonderful mouth could do. He was in awe.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Mr. Bass," Blair teased, swinging her finger in front of Chuck. "You know that you're supposed to remain quiet while you're in the library."

"I'm so sorry Ma'am," Chuck played along. "I guess I forgot."

"Well, you better make sure it doesn't happen again," Blair lectured as she made her way next to Chuck's seat. Then she leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Otherwise I'll have to punish you."

When Blair pulled back, Chuck looked straight into her eyes and gulped loudly, as if he was afraid of Mary the Librarian.

Blair leaned back against the long table that was situated in the center of the room and watched Chuck go back to his work. She then gracefully moved so that she was sitting cross-legged on top of the table, picked up her book, and began to read.

Over the top of the book, Blair could see Chuck checking her out every minute or so. As if he was waiting to see what she would do next. That's when she decided it was time to pick up the pace of this game.

Blair slowly traced her hand down her leg to the heel of her shoe, releasing her foot from the confines of its red prison. She rubbed her heel for a few seconds and left her shoe dangling from her toes.

The sight in front of him mesmerized Chuck. He couldn't stop staring at Blair's legs and feet. All of a sudden, her shoe fell to the ground.

"Oops," she mimed surprise. "Is there anyway you could get my shoe for me?"

"Of course," and Chuck immediately launched himself from his seat to pick up _Mary's_ shoe for her. Once in his hand, he gently held her foot and tenderly slid her shoe back in place.

While Chuck was still kneeling in front of her, Blair uncrossed and recrossed her legs, exposing to him what she was wearing underneath her leather skirt.

Absolutely nothing.

"Jesus Christ," groaned Chuck as he felt his body temperature suddenly increase. He remained on his knees and couldn't help his hands from roaming up and down Blair's legs.

"Charles," Blair said in all seriousness, removing her glasses as she spoke. "What did I tell you about being quiet in the library?"

"I'm sorry."

"You said that before and yet you continue to make noise. Am I going to have to make you be quiet?"

At this, Blair again uncrossed her legs, giving Chuck a clear view of her very naked pussy.

"Do I need to gag you?" she asked as slapped Chuck's hands away as they began to make their way under her skirt. She could hear his breathing begin to labor.

"I can think of a few other ways for you to keep me quiet," and Chuck stood up and nestled his body between her legs. Placing his hands firmly on her backside, first he gave Blair's ass a squeeze before pulling her body forward so that she was flush against him. He tossed her book aside and cradling her face in his hands, he leaned in to kiss her delectable red lips.

Blair returned the kiss with zeal; she had been waiting all day long to kiss her husband. And while the role-playing was fun, she was eager to make some noise of her own.

The kissing escalated and soon Blair was laying on her back on the table, with Chuck on top of her.

"I didn't realize that librarians could be so fucking sexy," Chuck murmured in Blair's ear as he began to kiss her jaw and neck. "But the red hair has got to go. I much prefer brunettes."

Blair reached up and quickly removed the wig from her head. She then released her own hair from its bun and shook her curls loose.

"Much better," and Chuck returned to assault Blair's neck but now he was able to thread his fingers through his wife's gorgeous locks as he did. Seconds later, he was using his fingers to nimbly open the buttons of Blair's blouse, exposing her satin-covered breasts to him.

Chuck continued to worship Blair's body with his mouth, eliciting moans from Blair that only encouraged him more. Slowly Chuck made his way down her body until he was at the end of her skirt. Knowing that she was not wearing any underwear had him fascinating about all the things he could do to Blair. He couldn't wait until he could taste her, and he knew she was looking forward to that too.

But first he wanted to tease her a little more. He moved so that he was standing and he brought Blair's body forward, so that she was near the edge of the table. Ever so softly, Chuck reached under Blair's skirt and grasped the end of her stocking. As he pulled it down Blair's leg, he planted a kiss on the inside of her now naked thigh, just above her knee. He repeated the same motion on the other leg, except this time his finger graced her center before he removed the hosiery. This action garnered a very loud sigh from Blair.

"Sshh, we're in the library," Chuck scolded as his characteristic smirk spread across his face.

Blair sat up and brought Chuck's lips to her own. "Well, then maybe you should make me be quiet."

"Actually, I want to see just how loud you can get," growled Chuck and his hands journeyed underneath the leather of Blair's skirt. They massaged her legs and his magic fingers found the slick folds at the apex of his wife's thighs.

"Oh, Chuck," she panted as he continued to work Blair into a frenzy.

After a few minutes, Chuck decided that was enough foreplay. He removed his hands and tried to push Blair's skirt up so that he could replace his fingers with his tongue. However, this is when he hit a snag – he couldn't get the skirt up high enough.

"Damn it Blair," he cursed, frustrated that this scrap of leather was keeping him from pleasuring his wife.

That's when Blair stood up and without saying a word, unzipped the back of her skirt. She pushed the skirt past her hips and Chuck watched as it fell to the ground. As she did this, Chuck made quick work of his pants, socks, and shoes. Blair stepped out of her skirt and began to help Chuck by unbuttoning his shirt and forcing it from his shoulders. Finally, Blair released the clasp of her bra, exposing her bare form to her husband.

It wasn't long before Chuck had Blair pinned on top of the table again and they were both crying out, filling the library with plenty of loud noises that any librarian would surely punish them for.

_Present day_

Blair shook herself out of her daydream and looked up at the clock. She was meeting Chuck in less than thirty minutes for lunch and she hadn't even accomplished a fraction of what she intended. Frustrated with herself, she gathered up her belongings and began the short walk to the restaurant she and Chuck frequented on Wednesdays for lunch.

* * *

When Blair arrived at the upclass bistro she noticed that Chuck was already seated. He was lounging back in his chair and laughing with someone on the phone, and all she could think was how handsome he looked when he was relaxed and smiling. As she made her way to the table, Chuck quickly ended the call, stood to greet Blair with a kiss on the cheek, and pulled out her chair for her.

"That was Nate. He's not going to make lunch today. Something about lacrosse."

"Well that's too bad," Blair said with mock disappointment. "I'll guess it will just be the two of us for lunch then."

At this both Blair and Chuck couldn't hide their smiles. While they loved spending time with their friends, it was always nice to have a few moments to themselves.

Blair sat down and Chuck discretely handed her her phone. She immediately snatched it from his hands and quickly perused her various texts and noted that the voicemails could wait. After a minute or so, she put her phone away (in a very safe place) and turned to Chuck.

"So, Gossip Girl sent out a blast this morning about your late night rendezvous with some _sexy redheaded vixen, a fiery librarian_," and Blair took a sip of her water to cover her smirk.

"Oh her," and Chuck grinned at the memory. "Yes, well, she was quite hot."

Then he decided to play along with Blair. "I wonder who could have sent in the tip. The security at my building is very tight and discrete."

Blair continued to keep up the façade. "Well, the picture looks like it came from inside the elevator, so it must have been someone with access to the security cameras."

"I'll have to check and see who asked to view the footage from last night. I'm sure I'll be able to track down the source of the tip."

Both Blair and Chuck hid their faces in their menus at this point. They both knew exactly who sent in the tip to Gossip Girl and they both reveled in the idea of pulling one over on the bitch.

For the past three weeks Chuck and Blair have been working to dodge the persistent rumors since Gossip Girl sent out her blast about them. It read something like this:

**Gossip Girl here and do I have some news to share with you! Everyone please join me in congratulating Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bass on their recent nuptials. That's right, I hear that B & C finally made it official. But why all the secrecy? I'm guessing it's like that famous playground song. Come on, you all know the words. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage. Does this mean there's soon-to-be a baby Bass on the Upper East Side? Everyone is on alert: Bump Watch 2011. You know you love me. XOXO Gossip Girl.**

It turns out that someone in the emergency room supposedly overheard Blair refer to Chuck as her husband and took a picture of the two of them leaving the ER together, arm and arm. Where the pregnancy part came from, neither Chuck nor Blair had any clue – maybe it was babysitting Anna. Still they had spent the last few weeks convincing Serena, Nate, and the rest of their friends and family, that they were not married and they certainly were not expecting a baby. Serena and Nate had been particularly difficult, as they both (surprisingly) did the math and concluded that a pregnancy was entirely possible after their week in St. Bart's.

So Blair decided the only way to truly defeat the rumors was to send in a leak of their own. Chuck was more than happy to scan the videos of Blair in the elevator to find the perfect shot, although for some reason it took him multiple views to find a frame he deemed suitable. Together, they sent in the tip from 'doormatt123' and waited to see the results. In a way it was a blessing that Blair forgot her phone, but she was anxious to see if Gossip Girl took their bait. All her questions were answered when Serena walked into the café earlier that morning – their plan was a success!

Chuck and Blair sat back and enjoyed their meal; a simple mixed greens salad for her and crab cakes for him. They talked about their morning classes, their plans for the afternoon, and their exam in Japanese in a few hours. Since they hadn't _talked_ much the night before, Chuck also filled Blair in on things at Bass Industries while she told him about the Asian Art project she was working on at Sotheby's and how there is a possibility of her going to London to help with an upcoming auction.

When their plates were cleared, Chuck decided to broach the subject of taking next Monday night off from the standing study date.

"So I was thinking," Chuck started tentatively. "Next Monday will be our first Valentine's Day as husband and wife and I thought we could plan something special." When he saw Blair take a breath, as if she was preparing to debate, he quickly added, "Something private."

Blair looked into Chuck's eyes and saw that this was important to him. And really, who was she to deny him.

"Okay," she consented. Then, with a glimmer of excitement in her eyes she continued, "So, what do you have in mind?"

Chuck visibly relaxed in his seat as a smile spread across his face.

"I'll take care of everything. I want it to be a surprise. Just make sure that you have Monday night free." And then in his classic sly Chuck Bass voice he added, "_All_ Monday night."

Blair couldn't help the blush that flooded her face. But that's what happened when she thought about all the possibilities that she and Chuck could do with a night to themselves. Just being Mr. and Mrs. Bass.

* * *

A/N: So that's it for now. I know, a short update but I hope it was worth the wait. I feel like my mojo is slowly coming back regarding this story, which means you won't have to wait a million months for the next update – that's assuming you're all still with me!

I need to send everyone who read my last chapter, especially to those of you who took the time to review, a really big hug! Reviews put a huge smile on my face. So thank you to: Beckaroo, Meg, TriGemini, amxoxo, ellibells, Trosev, ErinSmith20, DeDe, SaNaa.91, Kelsey, MusicalLover17, Maryl, Scarlett2u, and Moozanna. Love you all.

I also need to give huge virtual hugs to my glorious beta's. Dr. Holland, who is always so helpful and encouraging, and Maryl, who like B (or maybe Gossip Girl in this case) can be bitch enough for both of us. As well as Mary who read a little snippet of this chapter and gave me her approval – btw I hope you like your surprise.


	12. Chapter 11

So, I have a confession to make. I have not watched the Valentine's Day episode from season 4. Not a single scene. In fact, I have not watched 4x13-4x21. I may have watched the Nair scenes in 4x14 and the Chuck scenes in 4x20, but nothing else (although I know what happens). I just can't bring myself to do it, but I'm told I'm not missing much. Anyways, this is how I had hoped Valentine's Day went for Blair and Chuck in S4. It's full of CB fluff, so if that's not your thing I'm sorry. Also, I may have gotten unintentionally carried away with a certain scene, so beware of a tiny bit of CB smut in the middle of the chapter.

Again, I don't own anything. The song "The Way You Look Tonight" was written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, and I am listening to the Frank Sinatra version. And I did steal the idea of the floral arrangement from Martha Stewart's website.

Lastly, I want to send out special birthday wishes to Mary (a very loyal Futures fan), who turns 28 today! Again!

* * *

Chapter 11

* * *

As per her usual Monday morning routine, Blair woke up to her alarm at 6 AM sharp. Slowly she took off her sleepmask and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She grabbed her robe and made her way to the bathroom, still immersed in a cloud of sleep. A hot shower was definitely in order this morning.

Forty-five minutes later, Blair meandered down the stairs to the dining room for her breakfast and morning coffee. Her car was picking her up at 7:20 AM to bring her to campus for her 8 o'clock class, which meant she had a little more than half an hour to eat and make sure she had everything she needed for her day.

As Blair was halfway through her fromage blanc crepes with blackberry sauce (a special treat that Dorota made her), she heard the elevator chime. She saw Dorota hustle to the foyer and then she heard some mumbled words. No less than a minute later, Dorota was walking towards the dining room with a floral arrangement. It was a simple glass vase with a dozen or more pastel tulips (white, pink, peach, lavender, yellow). But what made it so different was that the bottom of the vase was filled with candy conversation hearts that matched the flowers. That took Blair by surprise because it was so unlike anything Chuck had ever done for her before. Still, she couldn't help but smile.

However, Blair's smile quickly turned into a frown when Dorota placed the flowers in front of Serena's place at the table.

"Excuse me Dorota, but why are you putting the flowers over there? Bring them over here along with the card so I can read it," demanded Blair.

"But Miss Blair, flowers not for you," Dorota answered tentatively as she awaited Blair's response.

"Huh?" Blair didn't understand who the flowers could be for.

"Flowers for Miss Serena," stated Dorota and she held out the envelope for Blair to see Serena's name scrolled across the front.

"Who would send Serena flowers?" probed Blair. Then she started thinking out loud. "Nothing is going on between Nate and Serena – I would know! And Humphrey is still dating that girl Abigail, I think. Although I don't understand why. I mean, she could do so much better than him."

"Maybe she have Secret Admirer?" and Dorota suddenly became very excited about the idea.

"Well, I'm not going to wait to find out," and Blair turned the envelope over to slide the card out.

"No!" and Dorota snatched the card away before Blair could read it. "That for Miss Serena, not you."

"Excuse me," Blair snapped. "Who do you work for? One clue - not Serena."

But they wouldn't have to wait any longer as Serena slowly made her way downstairs to join Blair for breakfast. She was still in her pajamas, and her hair was a mess, but she managed to look stunning nonetheless.

"Good morning Blair, Dorota," Serena singsonged as she sat down, a huge smile on her face. She was in an unusually chipper mood this morning

"Good morning Serena," and Blair gave her that look. The one where she stares at you until you break.

"What?" choked out Serena as she took a mouthful of crepe. She was in a world of her own, oblivious to everything around her.

"What?!" returned an annoyed Blair. She pointed to the flowers and then stood from her seat and grabbed the card from Dorota, showing it to Serena. "This what."

"Oh. My. God." gasped Serena and she quickly covered her open mouth with her hand. She readily seized the envelope from Blair hands, removed the card, and read it in complete silence. Suddenly, her cheeks flooded with a red tint and a gigantic smile erupted on her face that she tried to hide with the card.

"Spill, S," said Blair authoritatively and she crossed her arms in front of her and began to tap her foot.

There was a part of Blair that was jealous. A part of her wanted those flowers to be for her, but then the rational part of her brain kicked in and realized that would defeat keeping their relationship a secret. Now, Blair just wanted to understand what was going on with Serena. Who is sending her flowers? Who is turning her into this giggly lovesick girl in front of her? When did this happen? And how did she miss this?

Just then, Serena spoke up. "They're from Greg," and when she said his name she got this dreamy look upon her face.

"Greg?" Blair asked, wanting more than just a first name. She knew quite a few Gregs. Besides, she wanted details.

"You know, Greg Walker." Then Serena reminded her, "Theo's friend that he brought up for New Year's Eve."

"Oh, that Greg." Suddenly it all clicked into place for Blair and she returned to her seat. She remembered him from the party Chuck threw at the Empire, but what she didn't remember was anything happening between Serena and him. Serena didn't say a word when they spent the week together in St. Bart's. "You mean the tall, handsome guy with the short dark hair, bright blue eyes, and the amazing body."

"No, Blair. He's mine," Serena mistook Blair's pondering. "I saw him first!"

"You can have him – he's from the South," noted Blair. "What is it with you and men from North Carolina? At least this one doesn't seem like a con."

"Hey, you like Theo and he goes to Duke too," Serena argued.

"Yes, but Theo is one of us at heart," countered Blair. Ever since the night Eleanor and Cyrus invited Theo to dinner with them, Blair and Theo have become fast friends. What Blair also finds funny is that Chuck and Theo have become friends too. He's actually integrated into their little group quite well.

"I'll have you know that Greg is from Chicago. Lake Forest in fact," added Serena proudly and this peaked Blair's attention. "And he's moving to Manhattan for business school after graduation."

At that moment Dorota scuffled into the room. "Miss Blair, it's getting late."

Blair took a quick glance at the clock and realized that she needed to get going to class. She quickly rose from her seat and walked over to hug her best friend. "This conversation is not over S. I want to hear all about this secret romance you've been keeping from me."

"Well, not tonight," Serena piped up. Then she happily continued, "Greg is flying up for Valentine's Day."

Blair raised her brow to Serena and asked, "Is he staying here?"

"No, he said that Chuck hooked him up with a room at The Empire." Inwardly Blair scowled because Chuck didn't mention a word of this to her.

"So, I shouldn't expect you home tonight," teased Blair, happy that she wouldn't need to come up with an excuse for not coming back tonight herself.

"Yeah, I don't think you should," and Serena started smiling and giggling again as Blair left the room.

* * *

Blair exited the elevator and walked into the lobby of her building, where the doorman immediately greeted her.

"Good morning Ms. Waldorf. Your car is waiting for you," and he held the door to the building open for her.

"Thank you Matt. Have a good day," replied Blair as she made her way into the cold, brisk February air. She was surprised to see a limo instead of her usual town car idling out front. Blair suddenly felt her heart start beating loudly in her chest at the thought of Chuck surprising her for Valentine's Day in the limo. But then she realized that it wasn't Chuck's limo, so he likely wasn't there.

Blair proceeded forward and climbed into the backseat of the limo as the driver held the door open for her. The first thing she noticed was the scent – the limo smelt absolutely heavenly. When Blair raised her head, she noticed what was producing the smell.

Peonies.

Dozens upon dozens of peonies.

Dark pink. Light pink. White. White with yellow centers. And even yellow. The back of the limo was filled with peonies. Then Blair noticed the card in the bouquet right in front of her. She quickly snatched it and read it's contents.

_**For my beautiful wife on Valentine's Day **_

_**I love you more than you will ever know**_

_**- C**_

_**PS, the limo will be picking you up after 3 o'clock class. Be ready.**_

Now it was Blair's turn to smile like a lovesick fool. But she couldn't help it, her husband was perfect. In her elation, she felt compelled to phone him.

Chuck was expecting the call. Still, his heart fluttered a little when he saw Blair's name appear on the screen.

"Good morning Mrs. Bass," he drawled. "How are…"

Blair cut Chuck off. "I love you so much."

"I love you too Mrs. Bass," he quickly returned, a smile taking over his face as he thought of Blair surrounded by peonies in the back of the limo. "I take it you're on your way to class."

"Yes I am," sighed Blair. "The flowers are absolutely beautiful. I can't believe you did all this."

"Well, nothing is too much for my wife."

"Yes, that is true, but this is just perfect," she gushed. When Blair came back down to Earth she asked, "So, what are you doing today?"

"Blair, you'll have to wait until this afternoon for your surprise. I'm not giving you any hints."

"_Pleassseee_," she begged. "I will make it worth your while when I see you later on." Blair loved seeing how far she could push Chuck before he would give in. But she also wanted to know if he was going to be at their penthouse all day long.

Chuck simply laughed at Blair's antics before answering her with a resounding "NO".

"Fine," and Chuck knew that Blair's mouth had turned into a pout. "But I'll see you after my class at 3 o'clock, right?"

"Yes, you'll see me after your class. Now that's all I'm giving you."

"That's enough," she smiled and made a mental note to call the delivery service and have them hold the shipment until 3:30 that afternoon. Just then Blair's car stopped moving. "Listen Chuck, I just pulled up at school. I'll talk to you later?"

"Of course," he reassured her. "I love you Blair. Happy Valentine's Day."

"I love you too," and Blair hopped out of the limo, but not before stopping to smell the peonies one more time.

* * *

Blair was so excited when her class finished 10 minutes early. Her driver from the morning had told her he would pick her up at the corner of Amsterdam and West 118th Street at 3 o'clock. She quickly made her way over there and noticed that the limo was waiting exactly where he said it would be. Blair felt a rush of euphoria overtake her because she couldn't wait to see Chuck. Ever since that morning, she had been counting the seconds until she knew she was going to see him.

When Blair approached the limo, the driver immediately jumped from his seat and opened the door for her. To Blair's disappointment, the peonies were gone and Chuck was not there to replace them. Instead, she found another note and a garment bag.

_**You're going to want to change**_

_**I'll see you soon**_

_**With love, C**_

Blair slowly unzipped the garment bag to see Chuck had picked out for her to wear. Inside was a black and white Marc Jacobs sweater dress that flared slightly at the waist. There was also a pair of black tights, red-quilted ballerina flats. A puzzled Blair followed Chuck's directions and quickly changed her clothes after confirming that the barrier was raised to protect her privacy. A few minutes later she felt the car pull over and stop. She knew it was too soon to be at her and Chuck's place or the Waldorf penthouse, so she peaked out her window. Blair instantly recognized Central Park and noted that the ice skating rink was in sight.

Blair was opening the door to the limo before the driver had even exited his. She quickly fitted her beret and slid on her purple cashmere gloves, before taking off down the path she knew too well. She just _knew_ that Chuck would be at the skating rink. Every instinct told her that he would be there waiting for her.

Much to Blair's delight, Chuck was sitting on a bench next to the rink wearing ice skates and waiting for her. On the bench besides him she noticed her own skates. It touched her the planning that he had put into this, especially since she knew he was not all that fond of ice skating.

"Chuck," Blair shouted as she approached her waiting husband. Chuck quickly raised his head and his face erupted with a huge smile at the sight of Blair wearing the outfit he had picked out for her. He waved her over to him and patted the seat beside him.

Chuck picked up the skates so that Blair could sit down next to him. As he handed Blair her skates, he leaned in and discretely placed a chaste kiss on her cheek. Then he whispered in her ear, "Good afternoon Mrs. Bass."

Blair blushed and bowed her face. After a minute though, her brain kicked in and she started looking around to see who could be watching them. To her shock, the area was quiet. The rink was empty.

"What have you done Chuck?" a stunned Blair asked.

"Just providing us with a little privacy so that we can skate together," replied Chuck with a shrug, like it was no big deal.

But Blair knew better. She knew that closing down the ice skating rink in the middle of Central Park on Valentine's Day was no small feat. She felt a warm sensation take over her whole body when she thought of the thought he had put into making this day special for her. She reveled the feeling.

Blair must have been in her own little world for longer than she realized, because the next thing she knew Chuck was teasing her.

"Huh?" replied a slightly frazzled Blair.

"I said, are we going to skate or what Mrs. Bass?" and he let out a tiny chuckle before turning more serious. "Everything okay Blair?"

Blair shook herself straight. "I'm better than okay. I'm with you." Then Blair turned and softly kissed Chuck on the lips. When she broke off the kiss, she leaned forward and pressed her forehead against Chuck's while she gently stroked his face. Blair wanted to feel close to Chuck in that moment, and she wanted him to feel her love for him.

After holding their position for a minute or so, Blair cleared her throat and righted herself. "Well," and she quickly slipped off her ballet flats and grabbed her skates. "I better put these skates on so we can see how well you can skate."

"Hey, I'll have you know that I've got moves," and they both smiled at the infamous line that started everything. Then Chuck extended his hand and led Blair to the rink. "Come on Mrs. Bass, I'll make sure you don't fall."

For the next forty-five minutes, Blair and Chuck relished having the ice rink to themselves. At times they skated hand-in-hand in silence. At others, Chuck released Blair so that she could enjoy the ice on her own and he could enjoy watching her perfect form glide around the rink. In all, they had a wonderful time. But by the end they were both ready to go home.

* * *

Blair and Chuck decided to share his limo for the ride back to their penthouse. Usually, they would make good use of the alone time, but this afternoon they were both exhausted from the skating. So instead, they simply relaxed in the back seat. Chuck had his arm around Blair and she nestled into his body. They stayed this way until the limo pulled up to the semi-hidden side entrance to their building. Once the car stopped, they hopped out of the backseat and quickly made their way to the elevator without being seen.

Upon exiting the elevator, both Chuck and Blair were thinking of ways to sidetrack the other. Chuck didn't want Blair to see what he had planned and Blair wasn't ready to reveal her gift to Chuck. They both came up with the same idea – to use sex as a distraction.

Neither was sure who instigated it, but soon Blair found herself pressed against the wall with Chuck's lips attached to her neck. She threaded her fingers through Chuck's hair as she basked in the feel of his tongue tracing a path down her neck. Within seconds, Blair's legs were wrapped around Chuck's torso and he was cupping her ass with his hands. Both were getting extremely aroused and needed to be closer.

It wasn't long before their clothes became a hindrance.

"Damn these fucking tights," hissed Chuck as he tried unsuccessfully to pull Blair's tights down while she was pinned to the wall. Blair bit Chuck's shoulder in frustration as she grasped her arms tightly around him.

In one swift motion Chuck carried Blair to the sidetable located in their entryway and set her on top of it. Before Blair could even settle into her new position, she felt Chuck's fingers digging into her skin as they went to grasp the tops of her tights. Moments later, both her tights and her underwear were on the ground and Chuck was pushing the bottom half of Blair's dress up around her waist. Blair made quick work of Chuck's belt and soon had unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers. While Blair shoved Chuck's pants and boxers down, his lips made their way back to her neck as his hands gripped her ass to pull her to the edge of the table.

Without warning, Chuck drove his cock deep inside of Blair and she emitted a loud gasp. Upon their coupling, both stilled to regain their breath as they savored the feeling of finally being connected. Blair brought her legs around Chuck and tightened her hold on him, urging him to begin moving again. But Chuck didn't move.

"Chuck, _pleassseee_," Blair begged as she again used her legs to force him deeper inside of her. She also began to assault his neck with her mouth in a way that she knew drove him crazy.

When Chuck finally regained his wits, he raised his head and looked into Blair's eyes. There he saw the lust, the want, that he was certain matched his own.

Suddenly, he spit out, "Dress. Off."

Blair was more than happy to oblige her husband and lifted the dress over her head, leaving her wearing only a see-through lace bra. She felt Chuck's hands tighten their hold on her bottom and she knew he was preparing himself. Blair reached behind her and unlatched her bra, letting it fall down her arms. As soon as her nipple was visible, Chuck couldn't hold himself back any longer and he attacked Blair's breast with his mouth while he used one of this hands to palm to the other. Once Blair tossed her bra to the floor, she felt Chuck begin to move again with strong and forceful thrusts. Chuck moved his hands so that they were now holding Blair tightly by the hips, guiding her body onto his, and he continued to worship her breasts with his tongue and lips. Blair braced herself by placing her hands on the table behind her and she threw her head back in ecstasy. This gave Chuck the perfect view of Blair, and that only pushed him forward.

Chuck knew he wasn't going to last much longer and he wanted to make sure that Blair was satisfied right along with him. He seized Blair's hand and brought it to their juncture. Then he whispered in her ear, "Touch yourself, Blair. You know you want to."

Chuck turned to see Blair's eyes widen at his words. But then a second later, her eyes closed and a moan escaped her lips as she began to do what Chuck requested. This propelled Chuck into motion and he again held Blair tightly by her hips while he pushed himself deeper inside Blair with each and every thrust. It wasn't long before both Chuck and Blair went over the edge, crying out each other's names as they came.

"Wow," Blair choked out between breaths as she gradually came down from her high. Her arms were draped around her husband and she rested her head against his shoulder.

Still panting, Chuck managed to utter, "Uh huh," as he shook up and down his head in agreement.

"I don't think I can move," Blair admitted with a whisper, still not releasing her hold on Chuck.

"Well, then I guess I've done my job," Chuck joked and he felt, rather than saw, Blair's face adapt an appalled expression. He then pulled back, releasing their connection, and Blair whimpered at the loss of contact.

Slowly, Blair began to remember why she seduced her husband in the first place – to keep him from entering the living room. She wanted to make sure his gift was exactly as she envisioned. She quickly came up with a plan that would keep Chuck from seeing anything before it met her approval.

"_Chuck_," she purred as she stroked his chest, which she noted was still covered by his shirt. "Can you run downstairs and get my robe for me, so I don't have to put those clothes back on?"

"Of course," and Chuck gently cupped Blair's face as he planted a lingering kiss on her lips. He then reached down and pulled his boxers up, before going to their bedroom to retrieve her purple silk robe.

* * *

As soon as Chuck descended the stairs to the lower level, Blair jumped down off the sidetable. Her legs were still a little bit like jelly, but she forced herself to tiptoe as fast as possible into the living room, praying that no one would notice her naked form through the windows that lined the room. In the corner of the room, as per her instructions, was Chuck's joint Valentine's Day/housewarming gift.

A Steinway & Sons Grand Piano.

It fit perfectly in the room, just as Blair imagined it would. Nestled in the corner, it wasn't the centerpiece of the room but it still caught your eye with its elegance. There was ample room for people to surround the instrument if someone, like Chuck, were to play. But at the same time, it was situated such that a paid musician would be out of the way if the Basses were to host a dinner party, for example.

Blair was so excited to see Chuck's reaction to his gift. She recalled that Chuck took lessons as a child, and she still remembers watching and listening to him as he played the ivory keys at the Waldorf penthouse. She knew as soon as they stepped foot in this penthouse on the day after Christmas, that a piano would be a necessary addition to their home. And she was right.

Satisfied with the piano and its placement, Blair retreated back to the table in the entryway. In a very unladylike manner, Blair jumped back on top of the table and waited for Chuck to return, hoping that she could maintain the illusion that she had been sitting there the entire time.

What Blair didn't realize was that Chuck was more than happy to fulfill her request, leaving her in the foyer. He had been trying to figure out how to keep Blair from going into their bathroom or their kitchen before he had set everything up and was ready for her. Seducing her not only kept her from entering those rooms, but it also quenched the aching desire he had been feeling since he saw Blair walking down the path in Central Park.

When Chuck entered their bathroom, he swiftly got to work preparing a soothing bath to pamper Blair. Earlier in the day, he positioned candles all around the room, so now he just needed to light them. He purchased her favorite bath salts, so he began to fill the tub with hot water for a relaxing bath. He also bought her a selection of macarons from Laduree, which he set on a table beside the tub. He made sure that one of the bouquets of peonies from the limo was on the counter. He turned on the soft music that he knew Blair liked to listen to while soaking the tub. Lastly, he placed her favorite large and fluffy robe, as well as the equally fluffy towels, on the racks next to the tub.

Once Chuck felt secure that the bathroom was as it needed to be, he proceeded to their bedroom. He retrieved the large box from his closet and placed it in the middle of their joint dressing room so that Blair would see it following her bath. He hoped she liked the dress he picked out - Chuck just knew she would look beautiful wearing the Monique Lhuillier ruched tulle dress. It would hug her curves in all the right places and Blair always looked exquisite in red. He also doubled checked the card inside and made sure that his instructions were clear.

Finally satisfied that everything was to his liking, as well as Blair's, Chuck took off his shirt and tied his robe around himself. He then grabbed Blair's embroidered silk robe and dashed upstairs to his wife, whom he noted was patiently waiting just where he left her.

"As requested," Chuck drawled as he held out his hand to Blair and helped her off the table. He then slipped the robe onto Blair and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "I have a surprise for you downstairs."

"Oh really," Blair murmured seductively as she wiggled in Chuck's embrace.

"I like the way you think Mrs. Bass," and Chuck leaned in to gently nibble on the nape of Blair's neck. "Sadly, that is not what this surprise entails. Although I think we could make an adjustment if we wanted to."

"First," Blair turned to face Chuck, "I want to give you your present."

"I thought you just did." Chuck nodded in the direction of the sidetable and Blair knew he was referring the incredible, mind-blowing sex they just had moments earlier.

Blair shook her head from side-to-side, before grabbing Chuck's hand and leading him into the living room. She walked him in the direction of the piano, but stopped about fifteen feet in front of it so she could see Chuck's reaction.

At first, Chuck seemed confused, like he couldn't understand why there was a piano in their living room. Then it dawned on him that this was his present from Blair, and his jaw dropped in astonishment. When it finally sunk it that this was real, his lips formed the most perfect smile Blair had ever seen and she could see his eyes filling with excitement.

"Do you like it?" Blair asked tentatively, although she already knew the answer.

"Blair, I can't believe this," his voice relayed his shock at the gift. "How? When?" Chuck asked, obviously flustered. "How did you know?"

"I remembered that you took lessons when you were young, and I've heard you play a few times in the past."

"But?" Chuck blurted out.

Blair walked up to Chuck, who was admiring the piano keys, and wrapped her arms around him. She kissed his shoulder as she leaned into him.

"I knew the second we walked into this penthouse that this would be our home, and I could picture us sitting together on a piano bench in that exact spot while you played a melody."

"God, Blair, this is just perfect," gasped Chuck. "I love it and I love you. Thank you," and he twisted himself so that he could kiss his wife thoroughly, hoping it would convey his feelings at the moment.

"I'm so happy you like it," confessed Blair because there was a part of her that was nervous he wouldn't enjoy a piano as a gift. "Why don't you sit down and play something right now?"

"Later," and Chuck immediately noticed Blair trying to cover her disappointment, so he interjected with, "I promise." Then he provided her with a reason, "If I sit down an play right now, the hot and relaxing bath I've prepared for you will get cold."

Chuck's explanation seemed to do the trick, because he saw Blair begin to smile and her eyes light up at the thought.

"I'm holding you to that promise Bass," Blair teased. "Now lead me to luxury."

This time it was Chuck's turn to lead Blair out of the living room and downstairs to the master suite. He brought her into the bathroom and was happy when he heard Blair exhale loudly because he knew that meant she was happy.

"Perfect," Blair muttered softly but still loud enough for Chuck to hear.

"Why don't you climb in while the water is still hot?" Chuck urged. He knew Blair would savor the soak and it would also give him time to prepare the rest of their evening. With his classic Chuck Bass smirk, he added, "Do you need me to help you undress?"

"Always," Blair answered slyly and she looked at Chuck with hooded eyes. He was so tempted to take her right there but he knew he couldn't.

After Chuck removed Blair's robe and hung it from the rack, he gestured for her to climb into their tub. Once Blair settled into the warm water, she let out a deep moan as she began to relax – her muscles were sore from skating and their earlier activities. She inched forward and waited for Chuck to join her, so she was surprised when he remained robed.

"Aren't you planning on joining your wife in this enticing bath, Mr. Bass?" she flirted.

"I wish I could, but there are a few more things I need to tend to before dinner. Relax and unwind. You deserve it," and he laid a lingering kiss on Blair's lips.

"Fine," Blair huffed, slightly put off but not enough to stop her from leaning back and enjoying the hot water. "It's your loss. Don't say I didn't offer." She then closed her eyes and entered a trance-like state.

What Blair didn't realize was how much truth there was in Chuck's statement about tending to dinner. And that's because she didn't know that Chuck wasn't just checking with the caterers. No, Chuck had decided that he was going to prepare a romantic dinner for the two of them all by himself.

The only problem was that Chuck was not a masterchef. Not even close. Sure, he and Blair spent Sunday afternoons learning to cook from some of the best chefs in Manhattan, but they had only been taking lessons for a few weeks. That was not enough time to conquer the kitchen. However, Chuck was determined. And smart. He chose to cook a simple dinner that he felt confident he wouldn't spoil and Blair would enjoy. He also prepped everything for dessert earlier in the day, so that he wouldn't have to worry about it after dinner, but also so he could taste it.

After changing into his suit pants and undershirt, Chuck first made sure that the table was set, the wine was chilling, and everything was perfect for dinner. With that out of the way, Chuck went to the kitchen, put on his apron, and started on dinner. He assumed that Blair would be about half an hour, which was just enough time to cook dinner for the two of them.

* * *

Blair emerged from her bath feeling very relaxed and refreshed. She hugged her comfy robe around her and walked into their bedroom, expecting to see Chuck waiting for her. When she didn't she proceeded to their dressing room, hoping he might be in there getting ready. Instead, she saw the large box in the middle of the room, which she assumed must contain a dress that Chuck had picked out for their evening, so she eagerly discarded the top on the floor. Blair quickly removed the gorgeous red dress from the box and couldn't help but admire her husband's taste. She immediately knew what shoes would go perfect with her ensemble and swiftly dashed to find them among the select pairs she kept at their penthouse. She made a mental note that she was going to have to start moving more of her belongings into the home she was now sharing with Chuck.

Once Blair was happy with her appearance, she followed Chuck's instructions and went to the roof. When she stepped outside she was struck by the scene in front of her. The rafters that covered the doorway and entrance to the roof were laced with white fairy lights, as well as the potted trees that lined the ledge. Frank Sinatra was playing softly from the speakers. A short red carpet lined the path to small, but elegantly, set table for two. It was perfect.

While Blair was still admiring the view from the rooftop, she heard the door slide open. She turned around to see Chuck standing in the doorway with a tray of food beside him. She offered him a shy smile as he appraised her appearance. She noted that he was wearing his new Tom Ford tuxedo with a matching bow tie and pocket square: red with white polka dots and solid red respectively.

Chuck was in awe of the vision before him. Blair was standing near the edge and he had the perfect view of her from behind. He knew he picked that dress for a reason – it accented one of Blair's finest features just like he knew it would. But when she turned around, he was not prepared for the sight in front of him. Blair looked absolutely stunning. Her beauty resonated in way that reminded him of their wedding day. He immediately covered the few steps between them. Chuck cupped Blair's face with his hands as he leaned in to passionately kiss his wife.

When he pulled back he exhaled, "You look magnificent. God, I love you."

"I love you too," Blair readily returned as she started to play with Chuck's hands. "And the roof looks amazing."

"Why don't you sit down and I'll serve dinner."

At Chuck's request, Blair took her seat and she noticed for the first time that the reason she wasn't cold – there were two inconspicuously placed heaters keeping them warm. Chuck approached the table carrying a tray, which he set on the sidetable. He removed the lid and one plate at a time, brought dinner to the table.

Blair watched Chuck without saying a word. She then scrutinized the plate before her, even leaning down to discretely smell the aroma of the meal.

"Linguini with shrimp in a white wine sauce?" Blair asked, a little unsure.

Chuck simply nodded and he twisted his head to pour the wine, concealing his face.

"Did you make this yourself?" she questioned him next, surprise and disbelief were evident in her voice.

"I did," Chuck smiled proudly. He had sampled a small portion before bringing it to the roof and impressed even himself. He then raised his glass in Blair's direction, "To us."

"To us," Blair repeated as she clinked her glass with Chuck's.

A few moments later, Chuck heard Blair release a low 'mmmm' as she took her first bite of her dinner and he couldn't help but smile.

"Chuck," Blair exclaimed. "This is delicious. I can't believe you cooked this."

"I wanted it to be surprise," he admitted, still quite astonished with himself for pulling it off.

"Well, you succeeded," gushed Blair as she lifted a piece of speared shrimp into the mouth.

The rest of their meal consisted of Blair and Chuck discussing their days. Blair spoke about her desire to see a new exhibit at the Met while Chuck talked about the possibility of purchasing a hotel in San Francisco and wanting to take a trip there to investigate it further. The time went fast and before they both knew it their dishes were empty and they were enjoying the last of the bottle of wine. Chuck then excused himself to bring up dessert, but not before kissing his beautiful wife soundly on the lips.

When Chuck returned, he was carrying a tray and a smile on his face. Blair observed that in addition to the dessert plate, there were also two glasses; one she assumed was filled with Scotch for Chuck and she was guessing the other was filled with a nice dessert wine for her.

As Chuck approached the table with their dessert, Blair gave him a coy smile.

"Just one dessert?" she teased.

"I thought we could share," he smirked. He then forked a piece of the mixed berries and shortcake with crème fraiche and fed it to his wife, who couldn't help but close her eyes and savor the delicious sweet and fruity taste in her mouth.

"Mmmm," Blair purred as Chuck took a bite of the dessert for himself. "You made this too?" she marveled.

Chuck shook his head, as he admitted, "No, I got a little help with this one."

Blair raised her eyes, encouraging him to divulge more.

"Dorota," Chuck confessed. "She actually suggested it. She also baked the shortcake, recommended that I add blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries to the strawberries, and told me where to buy the crème fraiche."

"I knew I kept her around for some reason," commented Blair as she swallowed another scrumptious bite of dessert.

"Are you kidding?" Chuck joked. "We are going to have to figure out how to hire her away from your mother and bring her to work for us. She's amazing."

"Oh," Blair reassured Chuck, wagging the fork in front of his face. "Don't you worry. I have a plan."

Both the Basses released small giggles and smiled at Blair's remark. The two continued to enjoy each other's company while feeding each other the fruity concoction, until first chords of Frank Sinatra's 'The Way You Look Tonight' were heard from the speakers.

"Dance with me Mrs. Bass?" Chuck asked as he stood up and held out his hand to Blair.

Blair pushed back her chair instantly and grasped her husband's hand, "Of course."

_Some day, when I'm awfully low_

_When the world is cold_

_ I will feel a glow just thinking of you_

_ And the way you look tonight_

As the Basses danced, their hands were clasped and their bodies were as close as possible. Together, they swayed to the sound of Sinatra's voice.

_Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm_

_ And your cheeks so soft_

_ There is nothing for me but to love you_

_ And the way you look tonight_

Chuck then twirled Blair around and the two erupted into laughter as they continued dancing cheek to cheek.

_With each word your tenderness grows_

_ Tearing my fear apart_

_ And that laugh that wrinkles your nose_

_ It touches my foolish heart_

"I love you, Blair," Chuck sighed, his voice filled with happiness.

"I love you too, Chuck," and Blair leaned in to kiss her husband while he turned her around in step with the music.

_Lovely, never, ever change_

_ Keep that breathless charm_

_ Won't you please arrange it_

_ Cause I love you, just the way you look tonight_

Finally, Chuck dipped Blair and whispered to her, "Happy Valentine's Day Mrs. Bass."

_Just the way you look tonight_

* * *

A/N: To everyone who continues to read my story, especially those who review and PM me – THANK YOU! You inspire me to keep going. Again, special thanks to: Chairytale Ending, Maryl, Kara, amxoxo, MusicalLover17, Moozanna, SaNaa.91, Kelsey, Temp02, geminigurl89, Sparkleyangel, TriGemini, suspensegirl, notoutforawalk, RealJennEstrada, Gihanthi14, Where's Waldorf, ChuckluvsBlairBass, and Guest (whoever you are – I do have a plan just not much time to write). Love you all so much!

I also need to give giant virtual hug to Maryl who read half of this chapter a couple months ago and gave me a tiny piece of advice (which I did follow).


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